Free From The Maze
by angelcarstairs4679
Summary: (crossover with Maze Runner) Haru finds himself without his memories except for his name before he was chucked into the Glade populated entirely by boys. As he tries to make sense of his new life amongst the Gladers, Haru realizes there is only one goal in mind: to run and escape the Maze.
1. Welcome to the Glade

**Hi guys! So this is my first Free! crossover with Maze Runner. I saw a picture of Haru and Rin as Runner and I just couldn't get the idea out of my head about them running the maze together instead of swimming. A bit weird but still a cool idea.**

 **Also I added it to the normal Free! section because there is only one cross over between Free! and Maze Runner so far so just to make it easier to find...**

 **The story more or less follows the Maze Runner storyline but I may change it in the future so don't worry if some of the things don't make any sense.**

 **I don't own most of the characters.**

The sound of screeching of metal against metal woke Haru in a fit, causing him to slam his head onto the cage surrounding him. He coughed as he realized just how parched his throat was, his hand clawing at his throat as he rasped, "Water. Give me water." When no one answered his pleas, he slowly got to his feet to have something slam into his face, a creature that screeched and clicked as it tried to rip him to shreds.

Haru cried out as he slammed back into the wall, trying to get away as the cage zoomed upwards faster and faster, sending him sprawling to the ground as he whispered, "This is not right. This is not right." As he tried to rake his memory of who he was and what happened before this, nothing came to mind, sending him into a deeper wave of panic as he fumbled for his memories. My name… who am I? Where did I come from? Only one word formed in his fumbled mind: Haruka. His name.

The cage stopped squealing as it halted its breaks, sending Haru into a wave of blackness as the top opened, the lid rattling to reveal harsh sunlight in his face. He wanted to cry out as the sun seared his eyes, threatening to burn his eyeballs out of their sockets when he noticed the group of teenagers grouped around him, eyeing him like he was fresh meat. Perhaps he was.

Voices began to chatter as they sized him up, examining the new kid in town. "Hey, check out the new greenie." "Hehe, would be good to see if he'll throw up trying to slaughter the animals!" "No way. This guy could be used in the garden." "Maybe he can go shove some crap with Hayato as a slopper." That statement earned some laughs and high fives from the group as a boy shouted, "Hey shut up and get to work shanks! The glade ain't gonna keep itself sustained!"

With that, a shadow appeared above him before dropping into the cage with a large clang. Red eyes stared into Haru's blue ones as the boy grinned a grin full of shark teeth. "Hey, greenie. Rise and shine," Rin grinned as he offered Haru a hand, not waiting for the boy to grab it as he hauled him to his feet and yanked him onto the grass above.

Haru stared in horror as he saw the place he was at. He attempted to get up and run for it as someone yelled, "Hey, we got a Runner!" Haru's legs were about to break as he ran and it wasn't long before he face planted himself in the dirt, earning laughs and jeers as his peers taunted him. As he looked around, he felt his heart sinking into an abyss as he realized they were surrounded by four large walls, all too large to scale and keeping them prisoner in this small meadow.

"Don't push your luck, greenie. You're going to need all your limbs in one piece if you want to survive in this place. Once you break a leg, no going back for you," Rin said as he helped Haru to his feet, eyeing the boy with interest as Haru batted his hand away once he was on his feet. "Where the heck is this place?" he grunted. "Really? Normally the others would start bawling about being stuck here forever and all but you seem fine. In fact, you seem too fine. Did you break your head or anything?" Haru just scowled as Rin introduced himself.

"I'm Rin, keeper of the Runners. I help run this place. I'll take you to the leader to show you the ropes around here," he said as he led Haru across the field, the boys already getting to work hauling supplies out of the Box, the place Haru had come out from not long ago and bringing them to the buildings surrounding the Glade. "Hope you don't mind how loud he can be, but Seijirou can be a bit loud for someone trapped in a maze," Rin mumbled, the look on his place telling Haru that he didn't want to meet the guy in charge of this crazy place. But something else caught Haru's attention.

"Maze?" he murmured as Rin sighed, "You see these walls around us? Those are the entrances to the Maze. We send Runners, guys under me, to run and map the area to make sure we can find a way out of here without getting ourselves killed. Try to run and get stuck after nightfall, good luck since the Grievers will eat you." The words Maze, Runners, and Grievers didn't seem to stick into Haru's mind as a voice called out, "Come on, Rin. No need to frighten the new people with the Maze and Griever talk."

Another boy around their age came into view, his green eyes smiling despite the fact they were trapped there with no possible way out. He had a kind smile on his face as he waved at them, his arms exposed to reveal muscles. "Yo, Makoto! Yo, Haru. This is Makoto, Keeper of the Trackhoes, although that's supposed to be someone else's job…" Rin said as Makoto shook Haru's hand. Despite him feeling everything was going really weird, Haru felt at ease with them.

"Hope you don't find yourself too shocked about everything that's happening but you'll get used to it in a while. You're bringing him to go see Seijerou?" Makoto asked as a yell came from behind earning a groan from Rin, "Here we go again." "Yo, Greenie! Welcome to the Glade!" Seijirou clapped a hand onto Haru's shoulder, making him wince as he glared at the orange haired guy who was grinning like mad. "Well, we have a nice party for you tonight, kiddo! But for now, why don't I show you the ropes around here?"

Rin let the guy take Haru hostage and the boy was soon shown how the Glade works, although he had no mood about knowing more than how to get out of that joint. As they walked, he realized that most of the boys were around his age (how old was he again?) or maybe 15 to 18. The only one who stuck out was a kid about 12, his small head poking out from the toilet to look at the new kid as the other kids yelled at him to go back to cleaning the toilets.

"Don't mind Hayato. Poor kid, to have his memories taken away from him at that age… someday, if I can meet those bastards that threw us in here, I'm going to make them pay for what they did to all of us," Seijirou growled, a menacing look on his face before he turned all smiley as he patted Haru on the back. "Go hang around with Makoto and Rin for a bit for now before the party tonight. They'll take care of you," he said as he walked off to do some inspection.

Haru didn't go to where they were but instead, his legs carried him to one of the walls, the doors wide open as he approached. He could feel a small breeze coming from it, beckoning him to enter it. His hand reached out, trying to grasp the source of it as someone grabbed his arm. "Oi, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Rin demanded as he pulled Haru several steps from the Maze entrance.

"Just having a look. None of your business," he scowled as Makoto came up. "That's really dangerous, Haru-chan! If you go there before nightfall…" he gulped, not daring to say the word when Haru raised his eyebrow, "Haru-chan?" "That's a nickname one of the guys here came up with," Rin groaned as he jabbed a thumb at a small blonde boy walking nearby, his shirt stained with blood as he hauled meat to the kitchens. He didn't look as sweet as someone who would call everyone –chan. "That's Nagisa. He's a little absent minded but his ok," Makoto said as wind from within the Maze howled.

"Here we go," Rin murmured as the sound of metal gears screeching filled the air. The doors began to slide shut, the gears squealing so loud Haru had to cover his ears and brace himself as the Maze was blocked from view. Despite that, he could still feel it calling to him, beckoning him to enter before they shut. For a moment, silence hung between the three boys before Makoto broke the ice by saying, "Well, since the doors have been closed, why don't we go grab some dinner?"

 **This is going to be an interesting summer project.**

 **All comments are appreciated and welcomed!**


	2. Stung and banished

**Although no one is commenting, at least some people liked this story! Just going to continue since its so fun to explore how two fandoms can collide with one another. Hehe.**

 **I don't own the characters.**

 _Haru saw himself floating in the darkness, his hands reaching out into nothingness as he tried to reach for the light. "Haru, everything is going to be alright," a voice whispered as a person moved towards him. The boy gripped his hand, his aqua blue eyes staring into his own as he mouthed more words as he slipped away. Haru felt himself plunge into cold water, t he water wrapping around him in a cold embrace, strange, he always felt welcomed into the water, something he hadn't felt in ages…_

"Haru-onichan," a small voice spoke from the side of his bunk, Hayato poking him lightly on the arm as he tried to wake him up. "Sorry but Rin-onichan asked me to wake you up so you can get the hang of the work around here," he muttered, looking very scared to talk to the new kid. Haru guessed he did have a really bad scowl and he did hated to be woken up really early in the day but he did his best to put on a smile and hustle out of bed, making the smaller boy smile a little.

"Don't worry about it. I won't bite," he said as Hayato shuffled his feet. "It's just that, the last time I tried to wake someone up, they dunked my head in the toilet for doing that and… being smaller and all everyone tends to bully me. But not Rin and Makoto-onichan! And also not Nagisa and Seijirou-onichan!" Hayato blurted as Haru chuckled a little, moving to go and brush his teeth as he took note of the area. He was still stuck in the maze alright, whether he liked it or not.

Hayato brought him to the breakfast area, where boys were busy eating their fill of teriyaki and making their way for their daily chores. Rin sat at a table with a bunch of other guys in running gear, his finger moving across the map of the Maze as they took note of where they were going to run that day. The boys concluded their meeting and took off into the Maze in pairs, Rin stopping just for a moment to say hi to Haru and Hayato before dashing in.

"Rin-onichan is so cool! Someday, I want to be a runner just like him!" Hayato sighed as he turned to go clean the toilets. Haru watched the smaller boy go, wishing he could just protect the kid from the horrors of the world when a high pitched voice piped up from behind him. "Morning, Haru-chan!" the boy chirped as Haru whirled around to see a boy with pink eyes staring at him, a smile on his face that didn't suit the blood stains on his clothes.

"Come on. Let's go to the Bloodhouse! Gonna teach you how to slaughter some of the animals! I could use a hand in doing that stuff since no one dares to do it," he squeaked as he dragged Haru by the arm. Haru noticed how the others avoided them at all costs and now Haru was pretty sure he wasn't imagining the mad gleam in the boy's eyes. So he wasn't as innocent and sweet as he looked after all. Haru soon found himself hurling outside the Bloodhouse, the sight of having to kill an animal making his stomach turn.

"Come on, Haru-chan! I need some help around here! Pretty please?" he begged as Haru waved him off, trying to get some fresh air. The sight of blood made him sick and he wasn't about to go kill an animal when there was better stuff to do. Heck, maybe he should ask Rin if he could be a Runner after all if Seijirou even approved of it… Haru looked up, shocked to find that he had managed to wander to the forest that lined one corner of the Glade, the trees shrouding him from the sunlight as he stopped in his tracks. The air was cooler than outside but the atmosphere of the place brought chills down his spine.

"What a pain," he grunted as he tried to find the way out but the more he turned, the more he seemed to get lost. The light began to wane and he was wondering how long he had been lost when he noticed a small clearing. He thought he had found the way out when he noticed the small boards of wood jutting out of the earth, names scrawled onto them from what looked like charcoal or rock. "You got to be kidding me," he murmured as he read the headstones of the graves of Gladers who had died over the years. As if this death trap couldn't get crazier…

The sound of a branch snapping filled the air and Haru whirled around to see a boy standing nearby, his chest heaving as he leaned against the tree. His face was pale andhis eyes bloodshot, saliva dripping from his mouth as he grunted, "Get back." "Hey hey, calm down," Haru murmured as he stepped away slowly from the boy. Something about him didn't feel right. "You… you shouldn't be here," the boy growled and without warning, he lunged at him, wrestling him to the gorund.

Haru choked, the boy's hands circling around his neck as he tried to choke him. "Die… die…" the boy growled, his ranting getting more gibberish by the minute as Haru felt the oxygen reduction in his brain. His hands fumbled wildly for anything to get rid of him when his hand settled on an animal skull. He snatched it up and slammed it into the boy's temple, the boy groaning as he slammed into the dirt. Haru got to his feet and raced out of the forest, not caring where the hell he was going, just get away from the mad Glader.

"Oi, come back here!" the boy screamed as Haru ran faster and faster. His lungs ached from the lack of air and his legs ached from his muscles working overtime but he still managed to scream for help as he ran, the boy starting to close in on him. He didn't know how he did it but he managed to make it to the clearing, light blinding him for a moment as he reached a few seconds of freedom before he was tackled to the ground once more.

"Die, traitor," the boy growled just as a shadow appeared above them and he collapsed to the ground in a heap, barely breathing as Nagisa stood above them, a stick in his hand as he helped Haru to his feet, his smile replaced with a frown as he examined the unconscious boy. "What happened?" Seijirou demanded as he made his way towards them, a few Gladers trying to see what was going on when Nagisa used the end of his stick to pry open the boy's shirt, earning gasps from the others.

A nasty bruise bloomed from his pale skin, purple veins spiderwebbing across his abdomen towards his chest, spreading more by the minute. Seijirou sighed as he removed some rope from his pockets and tied the boy's hands behind his back and let two others haul him away. "You okay? Sorry you have to get spooked out by Kirito over there. Sheesh, they had to get him too, didn't they?" he murmured as Haru got pulled to his feet, rubbing his neck as Nagisa scowled, "Stung huh? Its been the second one this month. If it continues…"

"What happened to Kirito?" someone piped up as a boy with a first aid kit came into the clearing, already having missed the action. "Yo, doc. Nice to see you," he said as the boy bowed in apology. "Sorry, I was trying to see if the medicine would work this time but I don't know, I need a test subject for it now…" before he could say more, he stopped when he noticed Haru standing nearby, looking very lost. "Oh, you're the new kid eh? I'm the medic of the Glade, Hiyori. Nice to meet you," he grinned as he shook his hand but something told Haru that the guy was hiding something. Just a hunch.

Seijirou led Hiyori to where they held Kirito captive for now as Nagisa patted Haru on the back. "Whats going to happen to him now?" Haru croacked, his throat parched from screaming and being choked not too long ago. Nagisa shook his head as he watched the two boys go, his eyes turning misty as he murmured, "From the way it has progressed, Kirito… he won't make it. He'll have to be banished later." "Banished?" Haru blurted when he heard the sound of running feet.

"Oi, what happened? First thing I heard when I got back from mapping the Maze was Hiyori attacking Haru…" Rin panted as he glanced at Haru, who wondered why he was so concerned with him. "He got stung," Nagisa whispered as Rin growled, slamming a fist on his thigh. "Shit, and he was a good runner to boot. Those Creators, whoever is in charge of this hellhole, curse them!" he growled as he went to see his underclassman. Haru watched as the redhead walked away, wishing that his presence wouldn't bring them more pain than they already have.

…

Towards sunset, the boys gathered around the north entrance of the Maze, holding torches and pitchforks as Kirito was escorted to the Maze, his mouth foaming as he snarled and snapped at his captors. Rin gripped him by the shirt, his face pulled into a scowl and his eyes puffy as Kirito struggled. "Come on, listen to me, Hiyori! Just give me some medicine and I'll be alright," he growled before breaking down into tears. "Please, don't send me into the Maze. The Grievers, they'll kill me for sure!" Hiyori shook his head before nodding to Seijirou, who yelled, "Poles!" as the Keepers brought down their poles on either side of Kirito and pushed him into the Maze.

"Please! Don't do this! I'll get better I swear! I can still be a Runner! Please, anything but the Maze! Please! Rin! Help!" he screamed as Rin whispered, "Forgive me, Kirito." "No!" Kirito howled as the Maze's walls began to slam shut, the gears screeching as he was forced into the Maze. The only thing the Gladers could do was stand and watch as their comrade pleaded and begged for mercy, knowing that he would be dead the next day. As the doors slammed shut, the Gladers hung their heads in silence, respecting the person whom they had just sent to his death when Seijirou spoke up, "What's done is done."

With that, Seijirou walked off to one part of the wall, followed by the Keepers while the rest of the Gladers headed off to dinner, although Haru wondered if they had much of an appetite knowing what they had just done. "Haru, sorry but if you would come with us please," Makoto said as he placed a hand on Haru's shoulder. The gesture brought some peace to him but Haru swiped his hand off, not wanting to feel some relief. He hadn't been around, maybe Kirito would still be alive.

They came to a part of the Maze walls engraved with names of all the Gladers that have come and gone. Those who have died have had their names scratched off, Kirito's one just being removed by Rin, the redhead choking back tears as he struck off the name of one of his Runners as he cursed under his breath. When he was done, he stepped forward towards Haru and offered him the chisel. "You're one of us now. Go write your name on that damn wall. For Kirito's sake, you better live," he growled as he walked off, his hands in his pockets as some of the Keepers turned to join him.

"Rin can be a little emotional at times. Give him time," Seijirou said but Haru could tell their leader was already trying to come up with a plan to make sure the rest of them make it through what was to come. Haru walked to the wall, the names popping up to him as he raised the chisel, whispering under his breath, "For freedom." As he carved his name onto the wall, he could only hope he would survive for as long as he could.


	3. Running

**Wohoo! First character death! If you guys have watched the movies or read the books, you know whats coming! You have been warned! I might just slot in some names from animes I know since not all of the Free! characters have been named and I'm too lazy to check. Hehe.**

 **Shoutout to Shiranai Atsune and Multifandom69 for liking this story! Your support is really appreciated!**

 **I don't own the characters (except those randomly named ones liked poor Kirito).**

Haru couldn't sleep that night, the memories of Kirito screaming and begging for mercy filling his mind whenever he tossed and turned. He could still feel his hands closing around his beck, his breathing ragged as he repeated, "You'll kill us all." Haru opened his eyes to meet the morning light hitting his eyes, squinting as he swung his legs off the hammock as he heard low voices coming from nearby.

"If anything happens to me, I leave everything to you, Makoto," Seijirou said as he slung a Runner's pack onto his shoulders. The guy looked like had been a Runner since day one instead of a leader, flexing his muscles as he warmed up next to Rin. "Don't jinx it, okay? You'll be fine with me," Rin grunted as the doors began to open. Both of the shook hands with Makoto, who looked a bit worried and ready to cry as Seijirou patted him on the arm. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. We'll be back before dinner and report anything that we find about Kirito. If we're lucky and that guy is even alive that is…" he muttered as Rin snapped, "Hey, are we going to go running or what?"

Not waiting for an answer, Rin shot off into the Maze, his long legs sending him flying into the concrete-walled path as Seijirou followed suit, the leader of the Gladers matching his pace soon enough as Makoto said a silent prayer for them. Not wanting to say anything about it, Haru went to brush his teeth and help get breakfast ready for the Gladers since that was the only thing he could do about right for now. None of the Gladers save for Hayato, Nagisa, and a few others would meet his eyes, some of the Runners blaming him for their comrade's death.

"Don't worry. They'll get over it eventually. They just need someone to pin the blame on," Hiyori said as he let Haru scoop some rice into his bowl. Despite his words, Haru couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right with the guy. "So you're the Glade doctor?" he asked as Hiyori gave a wink. "Need me to patch up a wound or bandage you, you can count on me. But I don't have the means to protect the Gladers from the Grievers, which is the most important thing but… anyway, we have to stay positive about it."

As Hiyori walked off, Haru sighed as he took off his apron and got his own breakfast ready as Makoto waved at him from his table. Glad that he had someone for company, Haru slid into the chair across him as he murmured, "Itadakimasu." As he ate, Makoto's gaze seemed to wander to the doors from which Rin and Seijirou had gone into, his stupor only being broken as Haru said, "They'll be alright. They're capable guys." "Haru-chan…" "Don't call me –chan." At that, Makoto gave a laugh as he got up, to clear up before going to work. "Come on. We have to uproot some trees in the Glade so I could use the extra hand."

Looked like he didn't need much help as Makoto uprooted the trees all on his own and deposited them to the ground like it was nothing. Haru just took to cutting the wood into smaller pieces and carting them away to the Builders so they could use it for making more buildings. "So, you never tried to escape the maze?" Haru asked. "We did try other things in the beginning. Scaling the walls, didn't work out too well. Trying to go back into the Box, it never takes a person back down. Someone tried to climb down the wires one time but…" he shuddered and Haru decided he didn't want the gory details of the decapitated person.

"What Mako-chan is trying to say is that we have no choice but use the Maze to get out of here," Nagisa chirped as he brought down an ax, cutting away part of the base of the tree for Makoto to uproot. The small boy may look really sweet but he had the strength and a little insane streak in him that made Haru back off. "Don't worry, Haru-onichan! Rin-onichan is the best Runner out here so if anyone can find a way out, it would be him," Hayato spoke from the log he was sitting on, a small piece of carved wood in his hand as he attempted to chisel it more.

The day continued without much difference, the sun blazing hot above them as they worked. Haru got the news that it never ever rained in the Glade for a weird reason but the Glade never seemed to have any problem of water shortage so no one complained about that. Haru just wished he could have a soak in a bathtub after a long day of farming. As the day went on, some of the Runners returned and went to the Map room to make notes on what they had found about the Maze. But there was no sign of the Keeper of the Runners and the leader of the Gladers as the day began to draw to a close.

Makoto stood in front of the doors, pacing as he murmured to himself, looking as though he wanted to go in himself. "They'll be alright, right, Makoto-onichan?" Hayato asked as Makoto smiled weakly, patting the younger boy on the head. Haru could tell how worried Makoto was about his friends but the only thing he could do was wait until the time came nearer for the doors to close. Even Hiyori and some of the Gladers came to wait, all of them anxious about the situation. "This is bad... this is really bad," Hayato murmured, trying his best to cry and panic when Makoto yelled, "There they are!"

True enough, from around the corner came Rin but something was wrong. He was supporting Seijirou against him, the bigger boy's frame slack as his legs dragged underneath him. Rin cried out in tiredness as he dragged his feet, his energy getting more sapped by the minute as the gears of the doors began to creak. "Oh no," Haru whispered as Makoto yelled, "Rin, come on!" "Come on, Rin, run! Run! Run!" the Runners shouted as the Gladers began to shout, all of them yelling for Rin to bring Seijirou in. Before Haru could join in, one voice said something that made his heart stop.

"Leave him! You'll die too if you try to bring him here!" Hiyori yelled as Makoto whirled to face him, his green eyes flashing as he cried out, "Are you nuts?! We can't just leave him!" "Who you rather let die in the Maze? Our best runner or just our leader? Leaders are replaceable!"That doesn't mean we should just let them die!" Makoto snapped as he whirled around, his legs getting ready to sprint into the maze as Nagisa yelled, "Don't, Mako-chan!" but the other boy's eyes were filled with tears. Time seemed to slow down around Haru as his mind took control over his body, his legs already locking into position as he breathed.

 _Put your leg forward and leap. Thrust your body forward and create an opening. Then slide through that opening. Run. Be free._ Those words filled his mind as he dashed into the Maze, his legs moving before he could process what was happening, squeezing through the closing doors as he reached out his hand towards Rin, whose eyes were wide with shock. "You idiot!" he yelled as Haru yelled, "Grab my hand!"

Rin did grab his hand but only to stop him from getting smashed by the closing doors, thus trapping all three of them in the Maze. Rin panted as he slowly propped Seijirou against the wall, the older boy's face pale as he pulled raged breaths. "What happened?" Haru demanded as Rin collapsed next to him. "What do you think? He got stung!" he snapped as he slammed his hand against the wall.

"They came out of nowhere. One of them nearly got me but then Seijirou pushed me out of the way. Shit, its all my fault," he growled as he tried to stop the tears from flowing when Haru grabbed his shoulders and forced him to meet his eyes. "It's not your fault, ok? You did your best," Haru snapped as Rin hung his head, taking breaths to clear his head. As if Haru didn't need to add any more problems to the situation.

"Well, look at yourself! You got stuck in the Maze with us! As if it couldn't get worse!" Rin snapped as Haru snapped back. "If I didn't run in, you might have died!" "Well, I would rather die than have you die with me, you stupid shank!" "Stop being a prick and let me help!" "What can a greenie do?! You don't know the horrors of the Maze!" "Then teach and show me!" Haru yelled as Rin stared at him, wondering what the hell was wrong with Haru. He thought he may have lost his marbles as he chuckled under his breath.

"So you want to get out of here eh?" he muttered as Haru nodded, "I want to be a Runner and get out of here. Even if it's dangerous, running just brings… happiness to me. Some kind of freedom I would never have if I had to stay in the Glade." Rin wanted to laugh out loud about the idea of a greenie trying to become a Runner on such short notice but he just stood up, using the wall for support as he reached out his hand. "If we survive the night, I'll show you a sight you've never seen before," he grinned, shark teeth gleaming as Haru scowled, "You sound like a creep." "Oi," Rin growled when they heard a roaring sound through the air. "First things first. We need to get Seijirou to safety."

 **Some comments would be appreciated and welcomed.**


	4. Night in the maze

**Guess I'll be posting this on a daily basis now.**

 **I don't own the characters.**

The boys soon managed to find a place for Seijirou to rest for a bit, meaning in Rin terms, tying him in vines and hoisting him several feet into the air so the Grievers won't be able to find him (well that was the theory. Never bothered to find out if it worked or not, Rin grunted). As soon as they did so, they heard the sound of Grievers approaching and Rin, having gotten a bit traumatised from his earlier encounter with a Griever that landed them in the mess in the first place, shot off into a nearby corridor, leaving Haru dangling from the vines all alone.

"Rin!' Haru yelled but as soon as he did so, he regretted his decision for shouting. The Griever came into view and he squeaked in terror as he hid in the vines, trying to mask himself as he prayed to the gods for safety. The creature was smelly, its flesh gooey like sludge with weird contraptions sticking out in all directions that allowed it to walk like an insect. And all the while it was making a clicking noise, trying to find out where its prey had gone.

"Don't come here. Don't come here," Haru begged, praying as hard as he could that he could just disappear into the wall and wake up from whatever hell he was in. slowly, the Griever backed off, letting Haru relax just a bit before he was sliced out from his hiding place. He screamed as the Griever stood above him, slime dripping onto his clothes as he scrambled to his feet and ran for his life. "Shit!" he yelled as he ran for it, the Griever running after him much faster than he thought it would. Haru clung to the vines of another wall and clambered up it, trying not to think about the Griever in hot pursuit and occasionally managing to claw at his jeans.

He made it to the top and ran for it, scanning for a safe place to jump when he was met with a large gap between the opposite wall. Knowing the Griever wasn't too far off, he prayed as he jumped off his wall, slamming into the vines of the other just as the Griever did the same, nearly flattening him in the process. Haru released his grip from the wall and was about to run when he barreled into someone. "Holy… Haru!" Rin gasped as he stared at the boy he had abandoned not too long ago. "Rin!" Haru gaped when the Griever howled above them.

"No time! We gotta run!" Rin yelled as he snatched Haru's arm and led him down corridor after corridor, years of running in the Maze the only thing that allowed them to stay alive for the next ten minutes of their lives. Turning around each corner made Haru want to puke but as his lungs screamed for air and his legs begged for rest, he felt the exciting trill of running, the fact that the finishing line could be not too far away appealing to him as Rin shouted, "We can lose him here!"

They ducked into yet another section of the Maze as the Griever howled, snapping at them as the section of the Maze began to shift. "It shifts?!" Haru yelled as Rin yelled, "Oh yes it does! Come on, before you get crushed!" "So helpful!" Haru retorted just as an idea came to his mind. He stopped in his tracks, waiting for the beast to come towards him as Rin yelled, "Come on you moron! Do you want to die or what?!" Rin was already on the other side of the closing wall as the Griever made its appearance, shrieking as Haru yelled, 'Hey ugly! Come and get me!"

"Are you stupid?!" Rin began when he started to form Haru's plan in his head. His scowl turned into a grin as he began to yell, "Oi, stupidhead! Come on here! Don't tell me you're that slow to reach me!" That made the Griever pissed enough to come charging at Haru, who had to duck as its tail pierced the concrete above them, spraying debris over his head as he ran. "Don't make it worse!" "I'm only trying to help!" The Griever yanked its tail out of the wall and pursued after them, screeching as Haru ran for his life. Come on, a bit more. Just a bit more.

"Come on, Haru! Run!" Rin yelled as the walls began to close in on all sides. Now they were almost as close to his sides and soon he won't be able to move at all. The Griever was just behind him, its hot breath moving down his neck as Rin yelled, "HARU!" With one last spurt, Haru yelled as he shot down the corridor, the walls slamming behind him to crush the Griever, its squeals and shrieks filling the air as it died. Haru collapsed on the ground next to Rin, who started to laugh as he patted Haru on the back.

"You know what, you make a good runner!" he grinned as he lay on his back, letting himself catch his breath as Haru scowled, "You nearly got us killed!" "Well, if I hadn't jeered at it…" "Don't start." Both boys just lay next to each other, watching as the corridors around them shifted to form a new Maze for the Gladers to make sense off the next day. "Damn, I hope Makoto isn't worried about us." "Hell, he will be. He's always worried." "Speaking of which, we better go get Seijirou." "Can I sleep first?" "Whatever. Be up in an hour." Soon both boys were snoring alongside each other, finding comfort in each others presence until the next day.

…

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Makoto yelled as he grabbed Hiyori at the scruff of his shirt. It wasn't often Makoto got mad but now was those times and the others backed away as Hiyori frowned. "You know better than to place your own feelings when it comes to these situations. It's best to sacrifice Seijirou than to let the whole Glade lose the one person who can get us out of here with his intensive knowledge of the Maze." "But you expect us to let him die like that?! Now both of them and Haru are trapped in there for the night!" Makoto shouted as Nagisa placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Mako-chan. There's nothing we can do about it anymore," he whispered as Hiyori shrugged, gently prying himself free from Makoto's grip and heading away from the walls. "Let me just tell you one thing. From the way that Haru kid is going, he's going to bring more problems to the Glade." With that, he left Makoto and Nagisa standing as he moved to his medical hut tucked at the edge of the forest. Makoto slid to his knees, his hands shaking as he slammed a fist into the ground.

"Damn it!" he shouted as he let the tears flow, his heart breaking as he thought about how he had just lost his two oldest friends. Both boys had been with him since the three years they had been chucked into the Glade. They had found him in the Box, curled up and sobbing as he tried to figure out where he was. They hadn't been more than 14 than but they took care of him and showed him how to live the proper life of a Glader, even teaching him to be a Runner…

"Mako-chan, let's go eat something. You've been working hard all day today," Nagisa said as Makoto shook his head, trying to get rid of the memory of that day from his mind. He gave the other boy a weak smile as he said, "I think I'll wait here for them for now. Just to make sure." Nagisa nodded as he went to the dining area, leaving Makoto to stare at the walls and contemplate on what he could have done. What he did not expect was Hayato and Nagisa to show up with sleeping bags and some food and lanterns for the night.

"Ah, been a while since I slept outdoors!" Nagisa grinned as he lay down, turning to face the sky. Not many stars twinkled but just being able to breath fresh air brought some peace to the young boy's mind as Hayato whispered, "They'll be fine! I know it." "Yeah, I hope so too, Hayato-kun," Makoto mumbled as he yawned, exhaustion taking over him as he slid into slumber.

 _"Come on, Makoto! You have to run faster than that!" Seijirou shouted as Makoto, barely 14 squeaked, "Yes, senpai!" "Come on! Put your butt into it!" he yelled as they ran through the Maze, Makoto's breath coming out in ragged pants as he tried to keep up. He had been training to be a runner for a month now and his stamina was getting slightly better. Since they found he was quite fit for the job, they let him try it out since he was also quite persistent at doing it. "I'll find a way out for everyone one day, I promise!"_

 _As they ran, Makoto thought of the other boys doing their best to keep them alive and find a way out of the Maze. Rin, another boy his age was already the best runner the Glade had, running even faster than Seijirou and mapping out more areas than others ever had before him. "Man at this rate, we might just be able to find out way out of here!" Seijirou grinned as Makoto's heart clenched. He couldn't just stay where he was and let others do the work for him. He had to put his own weight into it._

 _One day, he went running in the Maze on his own, something he should never have done but he did it anyway, trying to find his way around when he came face to face with a Griever. He had screamed in terror and fallen down, too paralyzed in fear to move even as it drooled over him. He could still smell its horrible rotten breath as Seijirou yelled, "Leave him!" The older boy had attacked the Griever with a knife and let him run to safety. Some way or another, Makoto found his way back to the Glade and collapsed, only to find out Seijirou had been injured to the point he would never be able to run again. Since then, he had been wracked with guilt over the incident, always trying to be the best in his work and staying away from the Runners. He could never be one of them, not when he injured their most important Runner…_

"Hey, Makoto-onichan! Wake up!" Hayato squeaked as he shook the older boy, Makoto slowly blinking sleep from his eyes as he heard the sound of the doors screeching open. He bucked up from his sleeping bag to join a wide-eyed Nagisa and Hayato as three figures came into view, one of them supported between two others. "Impossible," Nagisa whispered as Makoto sniffled, wiping the tear from his eyes as he yelled, "Come on! Haru! Rin! Seijirou-senpai!"

As the boys yelled for their friends to come home, Haru and Rin smiled at each other as they walked through the doors, Seijirou slipping from their grasp. Makoto and Nagisa just managed to catch him when the other two boys collapsed in front of them. "That was… insane…" Rin gasped as Haru nodded, not even having the strength to retort. "Call a medic!" Hayato yelled as Makoto turned to face them. "Thank you, Rin. Haru-chan!" he smiled, not being able to contain all the joy of seeing them alive in him. "Come on, Makoto. You're already sixteen," Rin grunted but he himself looked ready to cry about their miraculous survival. "Tell me everything when we get Seijirou sorted out," Makoto said as both of them nodded before promptly collapsing and snoring away for the rest of the morning.


	5. New greenie

**My fangirl heart can't deal with the feels from the latest episode! Ahhhhh! My heart! Gush.. go nuts... ok calm down calm down. Here's the new chapter!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

All the Gladers were gathered in the meeting place, Rin and Haru having just gotten up and finished mucking themselves out in the showers. Haru had managed to recover all of his strength from his night in the maze and as he flexed his hands, he thought, "I might actually be able to survive this." "Oi, don't take too long. The meeting is about to start!" Rin called and he heard the sound of the door next door slam shut, indicating the runner had gone off to the meeting. Haru wanted to continue savoring the moment of being drenched in water, the coolness rejuvenating everything within him but he had more pressing matters. Like socking Hiyori in the face for shouting to leave Seijirou in the maze.

The place was cramped with the somewhat 50 Gladers that were present, including young Hayato who looked out of place amongst the other teenagers. He sat next to Nagisa, who held a protective hand over him and gave everyone a smile that literally said, "Touch him and I'll kill you." The chatter fell silent as Haru appeared at the door, gulping as it swung shut behind him. "Haru, welcome," Makoto beamed as Hiyori scowled. "Come on. We better not take too much time. I have to attend to Seijirou's wounds after this."

Haru clenched his fists, wanting to clobber him so much but a look from Rin told him to take his place at a small chair located at the stage where the Keepers were gathered, Rin among them. He leaned casually against the wall as though it was really common for Gladers to have a meeting judging someone's fate. "As all of you know, last night Rin and Haru were stuck in the maze with Seijirou, who is still under supervision by Hiyori after he was stung. Rin, if you would come up and explain the situation." Makoto moved to the side to allow the red head to take his place, the boy scanning the room before laying his eyes on Haru.

"In my entire time at the Glade as a Runner, no one has ever killed a Griever. I don't know who the heck this shank is, but he's proven himself pretty useful. I say we make him a Runner." As his words echoed across the room, Hiyori's jaw dropped as the room erupted in mayhem. "Come on, man! You can't just appoint him as a Runner! It takes us years of training to even be one!" Nakagawa, one of his fellow runners as Rin slammed a hand onto the wall. "I ran away! I ran away leaving that guy alone to the Grievers because I was scared to shit. He dared to even face it and killed it all on his own. If anyone was to blame for what happened to Seijirou, its to be me!"

The whole while, Hiyori was surveying the scene with slight interest, his eyes darting from behind his glasses as Rin continued, "At any rate, I would sooner than later resign as Keeper of the Runners and entrust it to Haru. If you rather have me do that, let me know. I'm all ears," he growled as the other Runner decided to shut up. "No objections?" Makoto asked, a smile on his face. Even Nagisa and Hayato looked pleased at how far Haru had gone within two days when someone slammed through the door.

"Oi, why did you turn up late for the meeting? Only Runners are allowed to be late!" Rin shouted as the boy gasped. "The Box has come back up!' he panted as the room filled with chaos once more, all the boys making their way out onto the meadow to hear the sound of metal gears screeching in the air, the lid to the box opening already. Makoto and Rin made it fastest to it, both staring at the contents of the box. "Its just another dude," Rin grunted when Makoto held up his hand.

"Hold on. There's a note tucked in his arm," he said as he jumped into the box, gently tugging the note from the boy as the others gathered around to see their new companion. "Hey, congrats from becoming a regular Glader in two days," Nagisa whispered as Haru stared at the boy. He was unconscious, his dark green hair covering his eyes, his mouth opened in a slight snore as he slept peacefully, unaware of the horrors that awaited him once he woke up. He only wore a white coat and simple jeans and a t shirt, somewhat standard to anyone who comes to the Glade as Makoto scanned the note he had.

"He is the last one. Ever," he read as he frowned, turning to look at the others for an answer, who, of course, didn't have any. Hiyori stood at the corner, a slight look of surprise on his face as though he recognized him. Funnily enough, Haru thought he had seen him before as well… "What the heck does that mean, Makoto?" Rin grunted when the boy bucked up, gasping as everyone took or jumped a step back. Rin yelled as he barreled into another boy, who giggled before earning a glare from him as Makoto tried to calm the boy down.

"Hey, you're safe. Don't worry. It happens to all of us when we come out of the Box," Makoto said as the boy's head swiveled around, scanning frantically for faces before settling on Haru's. Brown eyes bore into blue ones as the boy's mouth formed his name. "Haruka," he gasped before he collapsed into Makoto's chest, the other boy squealing a little when he realized that he had promptly gone back to sleep. Sighing, Makoto lifted him out of the Box and both he and Rin hoisted him back to the Homestead to check on him. Hiyori watched them go, a slight faraway look on his face before it turned into jealousy.

"Okay, the party's over people! Get back to work!" Nagisa called as he waved the others back, all of them scattering to do their own thing as they went to where Rin and Makoto were in the Homestead. The boy was still sleeping, his hand curled under his head like a pillow. "Darn, first you and now him. No offense Haru, but this is just weird for two people to come up two days after each other. Dang, I was hoping it was a girl since he would be the last one ever!" Rin groaned as Makoto squeaked, "Don't Rin! If a girl were here…" he stammered, turning red as Haru realized they had never seen the opposite gender for the past three years and had no idea how to interact with one.

"Ahem. Anyway, I'm going to go into the Maze with Haru here to look for the Griever before we do anything else. Who wants to come?" Rin asked as Nagisa chirped, "Oh, me me me!" He bounced on his toes as Haru thought they could use someone who knew how to defend them given how bad they were at it last night. Makoto agreed to come as well while Hayato was charged with taking care of the sleeping boy ("How hard could that be?" Rin had said) as the others got ready to go into the Maze. Nagisa was acting as though he was going on a field trip whilst Makoto didn't look too keen to go back into the place that he had robbed Seijirou off his role as a Runner.

"Come on, Makoto. That wasn't your fault," Rin grunted as he clapped a hand onto Makoto's back. Makoto nodded as Rin held up a hand to signal them into the Maze, all of them beginning to jog back to where they had left the Griever. Luckily, not many Grievers lurked about in the sunlit corridors and with Rin's memory, they managed to find it within 20 minutes upon entering, which was pretty good as no one was out of breath.

"Gross," Makoto grunted as goo seeped from the crack in where the smashed Griever was at, the smell turning to the smell of rotten human flesh. As they tried to figure out why they had even returned, Nagisa spotted a red light flashing within and climbed in to retrieve it before the others cold protest, coming out with a metal cylinder covered with slime. "Nagisa…" Rin groaned as he waved the smell away as Nagisa muttered, "Hey, check this out." The boys gathered around as Makoto recognized what was on it.

"WICKED. This always comes with our supplies," Makoto muttered as he turned the cylinder in his hands. Why did it have the same words as those on the crates the Gladers got every month? Did the Grievers have something to do with the people that got them trapped here in the first place? "Anyway, we better get out of here before the Maze doors shut. I don't want to take any chances," Rin said and with that, the boys trooped out of there, arriving at the Glade to be met with a scene very much like out of a comedic skit.

Rocks and what not rained from the top of the tower used for watchout and boys were ducking under pieces of wood and pots to make sure they didn't get a bump on their heads or knocked out. "Hey, glad you could join us," Hiyori mumbled as Hayato stood nearby, trying to stop himself from laughing. "For a boy, he's a bit of a sissy," he giggled as Hiyori shot him a glare before turning to them. "Anyway, he insists he wants to see you, Haru. So go on and get him down from there. He's making a fool out of himself," he grunted before turning to go see Seijirou.

Haru sighed as he went to the tower, narrowly managing to avoid all the rocks being pummeled at the poor Gladers, some of them connecting with faces and heads. "Oi, stop being a girl and come down," he called as the boy snapped, "No way! I don't even know what's going on!" "Hey, you're going to hurt yourself if you continue to stay up there like a damn princess!" Rin snapped as a rock connected with his head, making him yowl in pain as Makoto squeaked, "Hey Haru, just get up there now!"

Haru sighed as he climbed the tower to find himself facing the boy holding a knife at him. "Don't need to be hostile," he grunted as the boy snorted, "Where the heck am I?" "I always ask myself that question. To be honest, this just seems to be a bad dream for me," Haru said as he planted himself in front of the boy, not caring the tip of the blade was an inch from his heart. The boy exhaled as he lowered the knife before placing it on the ground. "You got a name? Calling you boy in my head is just getting annoying," Haru grunted as the boy scowled. "Ikuya. Just Ikuya."

"So, just Ikuya. If you would come down and stop hurting the Gladers, we would be fine," he said as Ikuya growled, "They tried to attack me, especially the weird one with the glasses. He tried to hug me!" "Well, he is a weirdo so don't mind him." As they lapsed into uncomfortable silence, the other Gladers had scattered to get ready for dinner but Rin and Makoto along with Hayato and Nagisa stayed behind for a bit until both of them came down.

"Sorry about your head," Ikuya mumbled to Rin who snorted, "Come on. As if a rock like this is a big deal." "You cried you know," Nagisa chirped as Rin snapped, "Did not!" "You're the leader around here, right?" Ikuya asked Makoto, who paled at being called that despite being the acting leader for the past 24 hours. "Why do you ask?" he asked as Ikuya reached into his coat pocket to reveal two syringes. "These came up with me. I think they may be able to help your friend." Makoto took the syringes with care, new hope filling his eyes as he nodded and ran off to hand them to Hiyori, leaving them standing there in awkward silence before Nagisa grabbed Ikuya by the arm and dragged him away. "Better get some rest. We have a long day of running tomorrow."

 **Hope you guys don't mind Ikuya being introduced the same way as Theresa. Anyway, hope you liked it! Hehe my fangirl senses are tingling...**


	6. Shifting tides

**Happy weekend! I don't own the characters.**

Haru awoke to the sound of water sloshing onto his face. He opened his eyes to find himself soaking wet, Rin standing over him with a bucket of water as he frowned, "Geez, you're supposed to jump up screaming your pants off. Man, I never seen such a bored reaction before." Haru just shook off the water from his hair and left for the showers, leaving Rin standing there dumbfounded before he managed to get his head back together. "Meet at the Map room in 15 minutes," he called as he jogged off to prepare their supplies.

By the time Haru had gone to meet him, Rin was already standing at the entrance of the Map room, his hair tied in a ponytail and his hands clad with leather gloves. He had a small backpack on his shoulders for minimal weight but light enough to be used when running around with rations and mapping material. Today, however, he just wanted to see how far Haru can run without dying. "Come on, let's get you suited up," he grinned as he showed the shoes available for him. Rows of shoes, new and old, smelly and not so much, lined the walls as Rin checked his size before giving him a pair of blue ones. Rin doned red ones with black shoelaces that had seen much better days but he had done so much with them he couldn't bear to part.

"Today we're just going to scout the Maze and see if anything has changed after we killed the Griever. We're bringing that metal thing with us as well to see if it actually does anything. I have a feeling it might be something connected with how we get out of here," Rin mumbled as he threw Haru a backpack of his own, the pack slightly smelly but Haru pulled it on anyway. Haru tugged at his shirt, wishing he had worn a short sleeve one but you never know how the weather would change. Not like he knew which country he was in and what climate it had anyway.

Both boys walked through the Glade, Rin saying hi to some of the Runners and giving them a bit of feedback on how the mapping was coming around. Despite being trapped for the past three years, Rin still showed the enthusiasm he had when he first started the Runners up and going, giving hope to the residents of the Glade that they might be able to escape one day. That didn't stop some of them from throwing death stares at Haru, which he told him to ignore as the doors came into view. They did some quiet stretching as the doors yawned open for them, beckoning them to enter.

"Let's go!" Rin grinned as he sprinted inside, starting at a relatively fast pace as Haru tried to catch up. Not long after, he had managed to catch up with him, earning a whistle from the seasoned Runner as they made it through the first section of the maze in good time, stopping to have a water break before moving on. By the time afternoon rolled around, they had arrived at the center of the maze, large concrete blocks looming around them with the words WICKED printed on them. The words seemed to stare down at them, telling the Runners that all hope was lost for them.

"Don't let it get to you. Don't let those idiots up there know that we feel lost. We're going to bust out of here someday and rip those pretty faces of theirs, don't you wait," Rin grinned savagely as he wiped sweat from his brow. He took a turn with Haru next to him to slow down slightly. "What?" Haru asked as Rin muttered, "This is pretty new."

In front of them were rows of blades, all positioned in neat little rows as they walked through them, careful to not walk between them in case they decided to tear them to shreds. Rin came up to a tunnel that leads to a long bridge leading to yet another tunnel in front. "You've seen this before?" Haru murmured. "Nope. Seen those blades but never this. Must have been activated recently. Sheesh, they never stop coming up with crazy new designs eh?" Rin muttered as a clicking sound filled the air. Both boys froze, praying it wasn't a Griever that found them when Rin gave a weak chuckle.

"Take the cylinder out of your bag. It's making that weird noise," he said as Haru reached into his bag. True enough, the strange clicking sound filling the air as they walked closer to the end of the tunnel, the wall opening for them as they headed close enough. The red light turned to a bright green as a hatch opened for them, both of them peered inside, wondering what it was when Rin realized what it was. "Oh, shit," he groaned but it was too late as light shot from the darkness, scanning their bodies and indicating they were not Grievers.

"Run!' Rin yelled as Haru hurriedly stuffed the cylinder in his back and both of them hightailed out of there as the walls began to come down on them. "Oh shit!" Rin yelled as they narrowly managed to stop becoming bug squash, reaching the rows of blades that had begun to swing shut to form walls. "Come on, Haru! This way before we get crushed!" All around them, walls were collapsing and new ones emerging as they tried to run from them. Rin barely had time to figure out if they were going in the right direction when the floor beneath them shook.

"Woah, shit," he groaned as he grabbed Haru's arm and dragged him far away from a block that had descended upon them, nearly flattening them as they made for cover, squeezing between cracks to get back into the section of their maze while Rin was shouting for Haru to hurry up. Haru grunted, not liking to be pestered like that but he valued his life a lot more than Rin thought. Finally, they managed to get out of the death trap and collapsed for a long time, barely managing to recover their wits and make it back to the Glade where they were greeted by Makoto.

"Seijirou?" Rin asked as Makoto nodded gravely. "He's awake, but he wants to see you two," he said. Both boys didn't bother to ask if they could hit the showers and followed Makoto to the Sick Hut, the small thing tucked at the edge of the woods. It reminded Haru of those voodoo witches huts as even incense came from it, Hiyori sitting next to Seijirou who was uncharacteristically quiet. "Hey, Seijirou. You okay?" Rin asked, knowing full well how he would answer. "I feel like crap," Seijirou muttered as tears began to stream from his face as he looked at Haru.

"I remember. I remember who I am. What I was. What I had lost," he whispered, his lip quivering as he dissolved into tears. "My younger brother, I haven't seen him in years. Those people, WICKED, they took him away from me. Our younger sister too, I can't believe I forgot all about them," he whispered as he sobbed, all the past trickling into him to fill him with more pain than relief. As he sobbed, Hiyori patted him on the back as the older boy slapped his hand away.

"You. How could you do that to us? We're not just your guinea pigs. We're human, like you. How could you toss us into a Maze like some sport and see if we survive?! We're only teenagers, man!" Seijirou yelled as he reached out to grab Hiyori, who sidestepped to let him faceplant into the ground. Seijirou lay there sobbing as Ikuya came in, the older boy's attention turning to him. "You. Why are you here? After everything you have done, why the hell are you among us? When you made this living hell for us?!" he screamed as Makoto and Rin wrestled him to the bed.

"Calm down! You just had a bad nightmare! No way these guys can be responsible for what happened!" Rin shouted when he heard Hiyori snickering. "Oh, but he's right," he sneered as Rin whirled around. "What did you say? You designed this deathtrap?" he snapped as Hiyori shrugged. "I only did what my superiors told me to do. And so did Ikuya, didn't you?" he smiled as Ikuya stared at him blankly. "What the hell are you talking about, weirdo?" he snarled as Hiyori shrugged.

"Pity they erased your memories or it will make things much easier to do. However, you boys just started something you never wished you had done," Hiyori smiled as shouts came from outside. "I'll deal with you later," Rin snarled as he helped Seijirou, who was attempting to get out and see what had happened to the Glade while the rest of them filed out. Hiyori remained inside, a cynical smile on his face as he mouthed, "Have fun, boys." When Haru turned back, he had disappeared.

"Oi, whats the commotion?" Seijirou shouted as a boy slammed into him. "Seijirou! Thank goodness!" he shouted as Seijirou grabbed him by the arms, his leader self returning to him as he demanded what was going on. The boy was shaking as he pointed at the walls when Rin gasped. "Shit. They're not closing." "How is that possible? It's past sunset!" Makoto said as Ikuya whispered, "So that's what he meant." "What do you mean?" Seijirou demanded as Ikuya looked at them in the eye. "If we don't get out of here soon, we're all going to die."


	7. Griever attack

**Gah, been binge watching Touken Ranbu for the past few days and its so awesome! Gah! Not to mention season 3 of Free! opening theme song is now available in full length on YouTube! Yay!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

Just as Ikuya as those words, shrieks filled the air as Runners came running back from the Maze, their voices screaming, "Grievers!" With that, Seijirou yelled for everyone to flee and the boys fled in all directions. The boy from earlier had dashed somewhere into the forest while Seijirou and the others made their way to the fields, the large corn covering them and hopefully would keep them hidden. A few other Gladers were hidden, one of them being the runner, Nakagawa, who had retorted about Haru being appointed as a Runner. Now he was hiding, fear clear in his eyes as Seijirou moved his finger to his lip.

The boys nodded as they heard sounds of Grievers moving through the plants and Nakagawa let out a little gasp that caused him to be grabbed and snatched out of the field. "Nakagawa!" Rin yelled as he grabbed onto him, trying to pull him back. "Rin, don't let me go! Please! I don't wanna die!" he screamed as Rin had a tug of war with the Griever. "Let him go!" Seijirou yelled as Rin yelled, "Are you crazy?!" just as Nakagawa was snatched out of his hands, his screams filling the air before there were cut off.

"Now you're compromised our position. Shit, everyone, head to the Meeting Area!" he yelled as the boys fled for their lives, not caring to see if the others were being picked along the way. As they fled, Haru heard a small voice hiccupping as he spotted Hayato sobbing amongst the corn. "Hayato! We gotta go!" he hissed as he snatched up the boy in his arms. "I'm scared! I don't want to go like Nakagawa-onichan!" he sobbed as Haru pressed him against his chest, trying to block out the screams of dying Gladers.

Seijirou slammed open the door to allow the group to spill inside. All around, the boys began to grab weapons that had been stashed. Haru was thrown a sword while Hayato got a small dagger, which he held several inches from him. "Come on, you might need it," Rin said as Seijirou shushed them. Outside, the howls of Gladers filled the air, buildings being torn to pieces and set on fire sounding as they hid, Grievers approaching in all directions. "Get out of the back door into the forest," Seijirou hissed as a Griever began climbing the roof. They barely made it an inch from their current spot as the roof caved from above them.

Hayato screamed as he was buried under a mountain of straw. "Hayato!' Rin shouted as he dug for the boy when the Griever snatched him from under the straw. "Oh shit!" he yelled as he was dragged out of the hole, swinging his sword as the others tried to drag him back to solid ground. "Hold on!" "No shit Sherlock!" As the boys tried to save their friend, Seijirou's eyes gleamed as he gripped his sword, charging as he began to hack the Griever to pieces, screaming the whole while. The other Gladers cold only watch as their leader went berserk, the Griever howling as it retracted its tail to drop Rin to the ground.

'Thanks," Rin grunted as Seijirou pulled him to his feet, patting him on the back. "No worries," he grunted, his mouth opening to say something when the Griever reached back into the building to snatch him up. "Seijirou!" Makoto yelled as he slammed his hoe into it with no luck. Haru did his best to hack at it with his sword while Rin grabbed his arms and tried to reel him back in.

"Its no use. We'll die at this rate," Seijirou muttered as Rin snapped, "Don't you dare go talking like that! We're getting out of here alive and you'll see your siblings again, ok!" "Momotarou… that kid needs a good scolding about how he likes to collect his bugs," Seijirou chuckled as he placed a hand on Rin's shoulder. "No. Don't!" Rin yelled as Seijirou whispered, "Tell them I love them and I'm sorry." With that he released his grip from Rin, barely making a sound as the Griever dragged him away. Rin screamed his name, rushing to the door and yanking it open.

"Oi! Come back!" he yelled as he ran after the Griever, jumping over fallen furniture and bodies as the others chased after him. The Griever was making its way into the Maze, Seijirou getting sucked into its abdomen even as Rin hacked at it. "Give him back, you monster! How many of my friends have you killed today?!" Rin yelled as Haru grabbed him back. "Don't! You'll get yourself killed!" he shouted as Rin fought against him, tears pouring from his eyes he refused to let go of the man who taught him how to survive and have hope in a hopeless world.

"Let him go. He sacrificed himself so we could live. Don't let it be in vain," Ikuya said as Rin snarled at him. This kid, he was the reason why everything went up in smoke. If he hadn't shown up… "Gah!" he screamed as he collapsed onto the ground, the Griever sucking Seijirou into its abdomen before skittering into the darkness. Rin wept as he smashed the ground with his fists, cursing at how he failed. Makoto held onto Hayato, trying to sooth the boy but it wasn't working. Haru was too stunned to do anything, even when Ikuya got punched in the jaw by Rin.

"Oi, Rin! Calm down!" Makoto shouted as Rin bellowed, "Seijirou is dead! He's dead! How am I going to explain this to his siblings if I ever saw them?! What if we die tonight?! Then they will never know that their brother loved them!" he yelled as he punched Ikuya one more time, the boy barely flinching as he got hit over and over. His lip split, filling his mouth with blood but he just spat on the grass. "Go on then. Kill me if it makes you better. I'm not worth it anyway," Ikuya whispered as he handed his dagger to Rin, who snatched it and held it over his heart.

"Rin," Haru warned as Rin held the dagger high, his hand quivering as he contemplated on what to do. They had no leader now, leaving only him and Makoto in charge with no idea of what to do. Half of the Gladers were dead and with the walls like that, they won't be able to survive another night. Not if they stayed there. "Ikuya, do you know a way out of here? Hiyori mentioned something about you building this place, any luck remembering?" he growled through gritted teeth.

"My memories are as jumbled as you guys. The only one who might be able to do something about it would be Hiyori, but he made his exit a while back," Ikuya grunted as Rin dropped him and the knife, sobbing as he held his hand to his chest. Makoto set Hayato down and came over, hugging Rin as he cried together over their loss. "Seijirou… that moron… how he dared to go before me," Rin growled as he got up, surveying the scene before turning to Makoto.

"You're the boss now, Makoto. What are your orders?" he asked as Makoto flinched. "I…" he whispered as Rin snapped, "You thought it was your fault Seijirou never became a Runner again after that accident? Well, he's dead so it doesn't matter anymore! Take charge of the situation and fight back!" he snapped as Makoto shakily tried to get to his feet when Haru held out his hand to him. "Makoto, you can do it," he said as Makoto sniffled, letting himself get pulled up before turning to Ikuya.

"I'm sorry, Ikuya-kun, but I have to put you in prison for the night. Until we get this sorted out, you're under arrest," he said as Ikuya nodded silently. He allowed Rin to snatch him by the elbow, who grunted an apology for socking him in the face earlier and escorted him to the slammer. Haru let Makoto sink into him as he sobbed, the bigger boy having to shoulder such a burden on himself. "What do we do? Everything is gone," Makoto whispered as Haru gazed into the sky. Day will come in a long time. Until then, they had to survive the night.


	8. Escape

Makoto hadn't sleep most of the night, mostly because he was with Haru and Rin crossing out the names of all the fallen Gladers in the attack. He couldn't believe just how people they had lost. They were thriving at 50. Now there weren't even 20 left and assuming if they survived the night and were willing to partake in their crazy plan the next day. "Are you seriously going to do it?" Rin muttered as Haru nodded. "It's the only way for everyone to survive. With the Maze doors remaining open, Grievers can come and go as they please so it's best if we make the best of it and find a way out of there. I believe the path we found that caused this to happen may be our ticket out of here."

"You think you can find it?" Makoto asked as Rin growled, "Of course I can! I've been running this Maze for the past three years." Finally, Makoto's hand hovered over Seijirou, the name carved in large bold letters in his messy handwriting. _"Come on greenie. You're going to be here for a long time so make sure you make it look pretty," Seijirou grinned as he pressed the mallet in his hand to let him carve his name. The younger boy slowly pressed the tip of the chisel into the rock and slammed the mallet down, slowly writing his name in kanji._

Makoto bit his lip as he brought the mallet down on the chisel, striking out Seijirou's name as he tried to hold back the tears. The torch lights flickered in the darkness as he finished the job, standing back to look at his handiwork. Seeing all those who have died over the years, Makoto didn't know whether it was a good thing he had survived this long or if it was a mistake since it was about to get worse. "Come on, get some sleep. We have a long run tomorrow if we want to get out of here," Rin said, clapping his hand on Makoto's shoulder to steer him away from the wall.

Haru tossed and turned as he tried to go to bed but the events of that day had left him scarred and scared for the future. He slowly got up from the hammock and made his way to the slammer to find Ikuya still wide away, a small bottle of water sitting next to him that hadn't been touched. "Couldn't sleep?" Ikuya asked as Haru nodded, sitting next to the cage to stare at the night sky, which was devoid of stars as usual. "Why did you say that back there?" Haru whispered as Ikuya snorted, "Isn't it obvious? I'm the anomaly that triggered this whole chain of events so it would be natural for you guys to get the hell out of here. I guess those idiots in charge have grown impatient and want to speed things up."

Haru found it hard that this guy had been pals with Hiyori, whom even the Gladers had found to be a bit weird and only relied on him for bandaging them up. Now that they had lost him, the wounded had no chance of being treated, much less surviving another attack. "We're going to get out of here in the morning. Rin has a little plan to bust you out of here but you have to trust him on it." "What could go wrong?" Ikuya groaned as Haru drifted into a fitful sleep for Grievers and Seijirou's plea for his siblings as he was dragged away.

…

Ikuya woke the next day to find himself getting dragged out of the Slammer by Rin. He didn't realize just how tired he had been to have dozed off as Rin tied his hands behind him. "You going to kill me or what?" he muttered as Rin shrugged, "Who can say?" He pushed him in front of him and marched him to the west entrance of the Maze, all of the Gladers gathered as they shouted at him.

"Feed him to them! Maybe it might please the Creators!" "This guy was responsible for everyone's deaths!" "Death to the traitor!" As the boys shouted their insults, Haru and Makoto stood at the entrance, weapons in their hands including backpacks. Haru gave them a slight nod as Rin disposed Ikuya into the ground. "I know things have been hard for us all and you think that he is the one responsible for this mess. But Ikuya is innocent in this and his warning is true. We must leave the Glade or we'll all be dead," Rin said as he snapped the rope apart with his knife.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" someone yelled as Haru and Makoto stepped forward and brought Ikuya to his feet. "He predicted that things would start turning south after his arrival in the Glade. From what happened last night, we no longer have any protection from the Grievers. We have to leave," Makoto ordered as the boys began to yell, some of them hanging their heads. Hayato hid behind Nagisa, gripping the other boy's shirt as the older boy stared at the ground.

"Please, the only way we can be free from this nightmare is to run into the Maze. Don't you want freedom from this place? We may be able to live a comfortable life until now but we won't be able to anymore. Outside might be a worse hell than this, but at least its freedom from the Maze, the Grievers and whoever is in charge of this hellhole," Haru murmured as he extended his hand in invitation. "It's your choice. Stay here and get eaten or run with us into the Maze and die trying."

The crowd of boys fell silent as they tried to figure out their decision. Makoto tapped his feet on the ground, his heart pounding as he prayed for others to join them when Hayato piped up, "I'll come with you guys." The younger boy stepped from behind Nagisa's shadow to walk to Makoto, who smiled as he patted him on the head. "Alright. But you have to run quickly or you might fall behind," he said as Hayato nodded, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Nagisa followed suit, uncustomarily quiet as he said, "Whatever it takes to get out of here, let's do it."

Slowly, more boys joined the group and soon, only around ten remained to stay in the Glade. "Its suicide. You're all going to die in that Maze. Hope we don't have to see you around in Heaven anytime soon," one snarled as he turned his back to them, moving to the Homestead as he snapped orders to the stragglers to fortify the building. As he did so, Rin sighed as he turned to face the new group, some of them consisting of his fellow Runners as he said, "Alright! Who's up for a run?"

With that, the group of boys shouted in approval and ran into the Maze, Rin in the lead as they weaved in and out of corridors. Since most of them had prior experience at running, they managed to keep a good pace even though Hayato had to be carried by some of them to avoid falling behind. Haru panted as he ran but the adrenaline that filled his body from the thrill of being so close to freedom made him run faster. He watched Makoto's back as he ran, the other boy not breaking stride as they reached the outer rim of the Maze.

From where they had gone yesterday, most of the place had been shifted but Rin managed to figure out how to move about with the others runners as they reached the entrance to the tunnel, the sound of Grievers clicking away inside filling the tunnel. Rin motioned them to stop, turning to Haru to see if he had any better ideas. "One way to find out," he murmured as he charged in, the others following suit. Ikuya yelled as he threw his spear into the Griever, making it shriek as the others began to attack it.

Rin and Makoto ran ahead, Rin slicing the legs of the Grievers as Makoto heard the sound of the tunnel door opening to reveal a panel. "Ikuya! Haru! We need a password! Four spaces! In English!" he yelled as Ikuya yelled, "Little busy here!" Haru was busy hacking the body of one of the Grievers who was in the process of dragging a boy away, his screams filling the air as he was tossed into the abyss. "Hurry!" Makoto yelled as Haru yelled, "Try free!" "There's no way that's the password!" Rin yelled but Makoto punched it in any way, seeing not many options were remaining as Rin yelled.

"Rin!" he shouted, the last alphabet hanging in the air as he moved to help his friend who was now stuck under a Griever. Rin yelled as he hacked at it, slicing its abdomen open as it screeched, its tail whipping wildly in the air to catch someone by the stomach and toss him into the wall. Makoto drew his dagger and hacked at its legs, trying to pry him out when Haru yelled, "Look out!" Haru had managed to hitch a ride on one of the Grievers with Ikuya, who aimed for its head as he threw it with full force.

Makoto dodged it as it lodged itself between the Griever's eyes, sending it wailing in pain as the boys heaved it over the side. Rin gasped for air as he got to his feet, glad to have it off his face when more started to climb from below. "Finish the password!" he yelled as Ikuya jumped from the Griever as Haru plunged his dagger into the Griever's neck. He slammed a finger onto the button to punch in the 'n', making the machine turn green and open for them.

"Come on, into the hole!" he yelled as he clambered in, the others scrambling for cover as Haru dashed after them. "Come on!" Rin yelled as walls began to slide on top of them, squashing Grievers by the second as Haru slid into the hole. "Seriously? Free?!" Rin demanded as Haru muttered, "Just an instinct." "Before he could say anything, the hole swallowed them up and plunged them into darkness."


	9. Freedom?

**This chapter marks the end of the first part of the Maze Runner series so if you have watched the movies or read the books, don't be shocked by what happens next (forgive me about it but I had to...)**

The boys shouted in surprise for a moment, bumping into each other before the door in front of them opened into a concrete corridor. Fluorescent lights hung above them, the sound of dripping water filling the air as they poked their heads through the door before making their way out. It had been ages since any of them saw steel pipes or anything in the form of technology and infrastructure as they walked, trying to figure out the way when Ikuya pointed to a sign above the door saying 'Exit' in English.

"Seriously?" Rin groaned as Ikuya turned the knob and pushed the door forward, the smell of gas and blood wafting in the air as the boys stared in horror. The hall in front of them was a scene of chaos, bodies strewn everywhere and the lights and computer monitors emitting static. The lights popped and fizzed above them as they walked, the boys' tiptoeing over the bodies of scientists and soldiers who looked like they hadn't been dead for a long time. In a room with a one-way mirror lay the bodies of two boys who will never see the day of light again. Haru said a silent prayer to them as the sound of clapping filled the air

"Bravo. You made it," Hiyori grinned as he stepped through the door, his foot crunching the fingers of a man nearby. Ikuya gritted his teeth as Hiyori winked at him before turning his attention to the surviving Gladers. "Did you kill all of them?" Rin hissed as the boy shrugged. He was in a white lab coat but it was spotless despite the carnage around him and he wore a smile as though he had just opened the best Christmas present of all time.

"Nah nah. This happened a while ago. I came here to deliver a message from our beloved director of WICKED. He insisted I came in person," he said as he dipped into a low bow. "First off, they apologize for putting you through such horrors for the past three years but it was for the sake of saving humanity. You think you might know what hell is, but that isn't entirely true. The world has been ravaged by a virus called the Flare, which has turned nearly 90% of Japan's human population into mindless creatures. What we have been doing with you is to experiment and see how young people such as yourselves, who are somewhat immune to the virus, survive in harsh conditions and hopefully replicate whatever makes you tick."

As Hiyori explained it all, he looked only mildly guilty for putting them through hell as he smiled. "But not to worry! Sensei has gathered a lot of data so all your hard work and sacrifices won't be in vain! Rest assured, you made it through the first round of the trials so congratulations!" he grinned as Rin yelled, "You monster! You put us through that, killed so many people, just to find a damn cure you won't even know will work?!" "Tsk tsk. You don't appreciate the science behind all of this. We're so close now with the help of young minds who put their lives into research." "I don't care! All those deaths! Seijirou! Kirito! Nakagawa! All of them! Why did they have to die?!" Rin yelled as Makoto shouted, "Enough!"

Rin calmed down only slightly as Makoto steered him away, earning a whistle from Hiyori when Haru noticed him reaching into his pocket. The boys shoved back as their former doctor removed a gun from his pocket, pointing it directly at Haru's forehead with only the slightest amusement and pity. "Shame, but I have to get rid of you, Haru. You nearly threw the whole project off course because of your going into the Maze. And you too, Ikuya. I always wondered what was going on in that brain of yours."

Ikuya flinched at his words, his green eyes boring into brown ones as he snarled,"Leave my friends out of this, you weirdo." Hiyori merely laughed as he cocked the gun, a smile playing on his lips as he murmured, "Sorry, but I can't let you steer off your goal for the future." Before Ikuya could say further, there was a cry as Rin flung a dagger at Hiyori, who gasped just as a gunshot filled the air. The boy staggered as he stared at the blood dripping from the wound, the wooden shaft still protruding from his chest as he stared at Rin. "You… I never knew you had it in you…" he gurgled as he collapsed to the ground, twitching slightly before lying still. As Haru was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a small whimper came from Hayato, who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Haru-onichan. I don't… feel so good," he whispered as he collapsed onto his knees. Haru scooped him up before he hit the ground, screaming as he stared at the blood pouring from the gunshot wound in the little boy's chest. "Hayato! Holy… stay with us! We'll get some help!" he shouted as he looked for a medic, only to find the one available was now dead. Haru could only watch as the boy gasped for breaths, knowing each one he pulled could be his last.

"Haru-onichan," he whispered as he cradled the young Glader, who fumbled his small hands in his pockets to reveal the small carving he had been doing for the past month. It was a small dophin, the wood chipped in several places and uneven around the edges as he hiccupped, placing it slowly into Haru's bigger hand before gripping it. "Promise me… that you'll give this to my family…" he whispered as he choked on more blood, the red liquid dribbling onto his shirt as Haru hugged him. "Yes… I promise. No.. you'll give it to them yourself! Just hang in there!" "I… I dreamed I had an older brother. He looked so kind… how… I wished I could have met him…" Hayato whispered as his eyes slowly got dimmer. The others gathered around, not able to do anything as their youngest comrade died in Haru's arms.

The older boy wailed as he hugged Hayato to his chest, screaming his name even as the body grew cold. He gripped the dolphin in his fist, nearly breaking it as he howled and apologized to Hayato. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," he whispered as he smoothed the boy's hair, making him look like he was having a peaceful sleep. Rin sniffed as he cried, Makoto holding onto Nagisa who was crying loudly as he tried to control his own tears. "Haru-chan," Makoto whispered as the doors were thrown open, voices shouting as men in military suits came in, grabbing the boys by the arms to drag them out.

"Don't! We can't leave him like this!" Haru screamed as he clung onto Hayato, not letting him go until two men grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him to the open. They didn't bother to pick the younger boy up, letting him lie there even as Haru trashed, screaming his name as the other ran. Rin and Makoto didn't have the strength to fight back while Nagisa stared blankly into space. As they got into the open, Haru had to close his eyes as the sun hit him like a wave, his feet hitting the soft sand as they ran towards a helicopter waiting for them, the men throwing them on board as they signaled the vehicle to take off.

"Hey, you kids alright?" one of them shouted as he pulled down his mask. The older man was rough around the edges, his eyes speaking of much better days as he held the gun to his chest for dear life, as though expecting to be killed at any moment. "Who the hell are you people?! What's…" Rin shouted as they gaped at the scene around them. The Maze became smaller below them, the network of corridors surrounded by a large complex that shielded them from the horrors of the outside world which were indeed worse than the Maze.

Japan had been reduced to a land of sand and dust, the air so suffocating that they could barely breathe. Buildings lay abandoned and broken, skeletons of their formers selves and the city devoid of all life. The sun glared an angry red above them, the temperature so high it could have been summer in the dessert. "Don't worry, kids. You're going to be alright now," the man grinned as he spoke into his walkie-talkie. "Targets secured! Heading to base now!" he yelled as Haru stared at their old prison, the tears still running from his face as he thought of Hayato lying to rot in the Maze.

…

The board of directors of WCKD sat around the table, their faces glued to the screen as they witnessed the series of events involving the deaths of Hiyori and Hayato. Some of them whistled as the younger boy slid to his knees and Haru cry out in horror as he tried to save him in vain. When the video finally ends, the group turns to face the man in charge of it all, his face hidden in shadow as he turns to face them.

"Well, it seems everything went according to plan," he smiled as he took off his coat and folded it onto the chair in front of him. He took up the glass of water in front of him, swirling the liquid within as he continued, "The first Maze trials are now over and all survivors are being brought to the Base within the Scorch. As we speak, preparations for the second part of the Maze Trials are at work. We're closer to the Cure than we've ever been, folks. Let us have a toast to our hard work and getting closer to curing the Flare! Cheers!" he said as everyone lifted their glasses, sipping in silence as he grinned, "Now, let us begin… phase 2."

 **Forgive me for killing Hayato but I felt it wouldn't work if he hadn't died like Chuck.**

 **So let's see... Seijirou = Alby = Dead. Hayato = Chuck = Dead. That's the death count for now and it will continue to rise.**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	10. Refuge

**Let the scorch trials begin. Nyehehehe.**

 **I don't own the characters.**

Mrs Nanase had always been known to be the calm and collected woman that took life as it went, letting it pass as it please. Even though she made a good living, she made sure to always let things go with the flow and not to alter the flow too much. Whenever Haru asked her something, she would smile and whisper, "Be free, Haru. You'll have more fun that way in your life." Then the Flare struck and everything changed. Her husband, a kind and collected construction worker fell victim to the Flare within a month of its release, sending him into a state of madness. She tried her best to shield her child from her husband before he finally succumbed to the disease. As time passed, she realized that she too would share the same fate along with her child if she wasn't careful.

Careful to take what Haru needed, she packed his stuff and brought him to the gates of the quarantine zone, where workers of WICKED gathered and took in children from all over the town, ensuring that they will be saved where their parents couldn't be. She sobbed the whole way as she carried Haru in her arms, his blue eyes ever looking around as he whispered, "Where are we going, mama?" She shivered in the cold as she nearly slipped on ice, her lungs ready to explode from the stress and pain from losing her only child.

"We're just going to bring you to some nice people. They'll bring you somewhere safe and we'll see each other soon, ok?" she whispered as she choked back the tears. Slowly in her mind, she could feel it being eaten away by the virus but she held it back with all her might, not wanting to let Haru witness her turning into a monster. She choked back a sob as she reached the gates, hurriedly telling the people in charge about Haru. As they scanned him and took his belongings, she dropped to her knees, holding onto him tightly as she whispered, "Live freely, for me, Haruka." As he was picked up and carried away, the only thing she could do was pray that he would never have to experience the hell he was born into ever again.

…

Haru jerked away to the screeching of wheels against metal as he found himself trapped in the Box once more. "No no no," he whispered as he got to his feet, grabbing the sides of the Box to scream for help only for the Box to speed up faster. Sand began pouring into it, choking him as he got buried in it, choking the life out of him as he heard Rin's cries, "Haru, wake up!" Haru woke up to the sound of chopper blades rotating and Rin shaking him hard by the shoulders, his eyes wild as he yelled, "We've landed! We gotta go, now!"

Haru groggily got to his feet, swaying slightly as he was pulled down from the helicopter. The others had already begun their run to the large base looming ahead of them, the structure lighted up with lights so bright he could almost get blinded. As he slid down from the helicopter, he gasped as he remembered the gift he had earned in Hayato's blood. "Wait!" he yelled as he scrabbled to get it, his fingers clawing against the metal to extract the small dolphin that had fallen in the nest of blankets he had slept in. "Come on, kid! Get inside!" the soldier yelled as someone shouted, "We've got incoming Cranks!"

At his words, hordes of creatures appeared from the sand dunes, screeching as they made their descent towards the humans. Guns began to fire and bodies fell as they shot at them, shielding the boys as they ran for cover. "Get inside! We'll be fine!" one of the soldiers shouted as he sheephearded them into the facility, punching a button to cause the doors to slam shut, the sound of gunfire still being heard outside as they whirled around to see their new surroundings.

People were building things in all directions, army vehicles parked in neat rows and ammunition being loaded into them, workers making sure everything was in working order as they shouted orders to each other. Troops ran in all directions, getting ready for whatever operation they were about to begin. "Welcome," someone said as a boy stepped in front of them. He was slightly older than Seijirou, in his early twenties as he smiled behind his glasses. "I'm Serizawa Nao, the head of this facility. Pleased to meet your acquaintances."

All the Gladers stared at him as he led them through the maze of steel beams, the older boy greeting the workers with ease and all of them bowing in respect. "How the hell did he managed to run such a place at his age?" Rin whispered to Haru, who just shrugged. "Why ask me?" he muttered as Nao spoke, "We constructed this facility to make sure any survivors of the Maze trials can be sheltered from the horrors of the world and never be hurt by WCKD again. You'll all be able to make a better life here once we've got you cleaned up and everything and start over. How does that sound?" The words were too good to be true but Haru wanted to drink it all up.

"But first, let us do smething about your smell. No offense, you could use a shower," he grinned as he led the group through a large corridor, the lights shining above as he led them through more tunnels before arriving at a large dorm. "Showers are to the right, choose whichever bunk you want. Dinner will be ready in three hours," he said before giving them a small bow and left them to their thing. They stared at the room for a moment, wondering if it was actually real before Nagisa spoke, the first time he had spoken since Hayato died.

"If no one wants to go in first, I call dibs on the shower!" he yelled as he ran in and ripped off his clothes before jumping into the showers. All the boys began to do the same, rushing in and pushing each other to claim the shower as Rin, Haru, and Makoto stood dumbfounded at themselves. Rin sniffed his shirt before his face changed color, prompting him to go in and get ready to shower. Haru didn't need to be told twice and ripped off his shirt and pants, making Makoto shriek as he turned on the tap.

The water was heavenly, just the right temperature. He let out an ah of satisfaction, scrubbing all the grime from his body with soap. When was the last time he had a shower like this… although he wished there was a hot tub. "Yeah! Having fun, Haru?" Rin called from the other side as another guy shouted, "Water fight!" "Don't run! You're going to hurt yourself!" Makoto yelled as the boys began to hurl soap suds at each other. Makoto finally relented since it had been ages since anyone had a proper shower and fun doing something like this since they didn't have much soap to spare.

Once everyone was cleaned, they found fresh new clothes on the beds. "Yeah, this is pretty neat," Rin grinned as pulled on a fresh black shirt and camo pants before jumping onto the top bunk. "All mine!" he yelled as Nagisa pouted, "Not fair!" "Ah, I can get used to this," someone sighed as they landed on the bunks, sinking into the soft sheets as they debated on what would they have for dinner. As they chattered, Haru stared at the ceiling, wondering about their newfound luck as a soldier rapped on the door, calling out some of them for a little inspection. As the boys left, Haru let himself catch a bit of shuteye before he got interrogated.

" _Haru-onichan," Hayato whispered as he held him in his arms. The blood was so much, he couldn't get it off. He wanted to save him but there was nothing he could do about it. The wound grew larger, the blood turning into a pond and sucking Haru in, drowning him as Hayato whispered, "You'll kill us all."_ Haru bucked up from his bed, realizing he was the only one left in the room as the soldier patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, kid. The boss wants to talk to ya," he said as he motioned him to the door.

Nao sat at the table, his white clothes gleaming in the light as Haru came in, motioning him to sit down as he smiled. "How are you feeling?' he asked Haru stared at the water in front of him. "Don't worry. it isn't poisoned," he said as Haru started, "Just who are you guys?" "We're just trying to help people in need." "Really?" Haru murmured, looking around him as he tried to figure out where he was. "There is nothing to be afraid of, Haruka. We just have to run a few tests on you and after a few days of rest, you can leave."

Haru flinched at his full name being called as Nao stood up, smiling as he gestured him to the room next door. There were many people within, doctors and nurses in scrubs moving about, testing the Gladers that had just arrived. Some of them were complaining about not being able to go eat yet whilst some just sat staring at the wall. Nagisa barely flinched as the doctor drew blood from his arm, his eyes staring at the vacant wall and not even calling out to Haru as he passed.

"He's just a little tired, that's all," Nao suggested as they passed Rin, who was running on the treadmill. He gave Haru that said, "Seriously? Didn't I run enough in the Maze?" before Haru was brought to a young doctor wearing red-rimmed glasses. "Ryugazaki-kun, he's all yours," he smiled as the doctor gave a quick bow and motioned Haru into the seat. Haru stared at him, accessing the young boy as he grumbled, "Sorry but can you not stare at me like that? It makes me nervous." Haru didn't bother and they lapsed into silence, Ryugazaki filling a syringe with blood as Haru said, "You're about our age right?"

"I'm a year younger than you so that makes me sixteen," he grumbled as Haru cocked his head. "A little young to be a scientist, aren't you?" he asked. "At least I have the opportunity to work with such wonderful people who appreciate the art of science and its precision. To be given the honour of finding the cure," he whispered as Haru said, "Are you guys really finding the cure?" "Of course we are!" he yelled, earning a few stares from the other workers. He blushed a little before pushing up his glasses.

"What I suggest, Mr. Haruka is that you be silent and let me draw your blood and analyze it," he mumbled as Haru scowled, "Don't call me that, Ryugazaki." The young doctor grumbled about patients not cooperating as he drew a few more vials and let him go, the room already emptied of Gladers. Haru wandered around for a bit, a guard armed with a stun gun behind him as he thought to himself, "This isn't going to last."


	11. Paradise

Haru was shown into a large canteen where kids in their teenage years sat clustered at tables. He was surprised to see some girls present and he caught sight of the guys from the Glade ogling at some of them and trying to make moves on them. "Yo, Haru! Over here!" Rin called as he waved him over. The guy was smiling like crazy as he dug into scrambled eggs and bacon, crumbs all over his mouth as he swallowed and drank down a glass of orange juice. "We weren't the only Maze out there! Isn't that awesome? I met some other people who ran in their own Maze as well and exchanged details about it. I can't believe we weren't the only ones in this shit!"

Haru didn't want to break his smile with how he felt about the situation so he just slid into the seat next to him as two different dudes introduced themselves. "Yo, whats up?" one of them said as he stuffed a sausage into his mouth. After not having these kinds of fanciful meals for ages, the boys were scarfing down food like there was no tomorrow, which might be true if Haru's theory was correct. "Damn, can't believe we made it out alive after three years. It was so intense, especially in the final days where the Grievers attacked and we had to run. I thought it would all be over for us until some people dropped in and rescued us from that hell."

"How long have you've been here?" Makoto asked, his food barely touched. "Around three days. Some of our group have come and gone. I dunno what happened to them, but I presumed that they got called for a final check before being brought over to paradise," one of them sighed, the word Paradise hanging in the air like a place of salvation. One of them pointed to a lone redhead sitting at a table, his gaze forlorn as he stared at his plate. Muscles bulged underneath his shirt, his head hidden beneath a hood as he tried to hide from the world. "Some said that dude has been here more than a week. Poor guy… at least we have some buds from ours. Speaking of which, we better go say hi to them. See ya."

The two boys made off as Haru and the others stared around, seeing how the other teenagers were acting. They didn't seem suspicious that they might be in a trap at all. "You think we might actually be safe now?" Makoto muttered as Haru scowled, "If this is like in the movies and my gut instinct, no." "Come on, Haru. Lighten up. I'm sure we don't have to worry about much for now," Rin muttered, although his face betrayed him that he was having second thoughts about this place. Nagisa didn't say anything, pushing around the scrambled eggs in his plate as he muttered, "Where is Ikuya-chan?"

Haru froze as he noticed the other boy was missing, Makoto shaking his head as he told of how he was asked to be brought to another room for further inspection than the rest of them. "Something about him being the newest so they had to run a bunch of tests on him since the Maze hadn't affected him as much as us. I don't buy that crap though," Rin said as Haru's eyes widened. Walking through a corridor on the other side of a long mirror at the end of the hall was Ikuya and a bunch of other kids, all of them dressed in hospital scrubs. The boy shivered in the cold as he turned, his eyes widening as he tried to call out to them. "Ikuya!" Haru shouted, rising from his seat to move to the window before anyone can stop him.

'Woah kid, stand down. You're not allowed to go through," the guard snarled as he pushed him back with his gun. Haru glared at him as he snapped, "At least let me say something to him." "You'll get your chance. Don't worry," the guard said as he pushed him with more force than he would like. Haru threw daggers at him as he went back to his seat, some of the other kids sneering and pointing at him as he plopped at his table, Makoto and Rin looking worriedly at the corridor Ikuya had been taken through as someone smiled, "Roll call time!"

The other kids began to pound their knives and forks on the tables, the plates, and cups rattling as they waited, some of them with hungry looks on their faces as they chanted, "Rollcall! Rollcall!" "What the heck?" Rin mumbled as someone whispered, "Just a small event of the day. Every day, some people get called out and taken away. We assume it because they have been taken to the save haven Paradise on the other side of the compound. After the Maze, everyone is anxious to get out of here." Haru didn't buy it as Nao walked into the room, a small smile on his face as the chanting died down.

"Good evening, everyone. It's time for the roll call of the day. If your name is called, please step forward," he said as he flipped the paper on the clipboard. "Yono-san." A girl smiled as she stood up, her friends clapping her on the back as she walked to the front. "Ichigo-kun." A boy pumped his fist into the air as his tablemates slammed their fists on the table, cheering his name as he moved forward. "Ritsu-san. Mei-san. Ratata-kun. Matsuri-san. Isobe-kun." With that, he flipped the paper shut, earning groans from the rest of the group as he held up his hands. "Don't worry! Your time will come eventually. Until then, rest up and enjoy yourselves. Those of you whose names have been called, if you would follow me please," he said as he slid his id card over the scanner, the door opening for them to enter the corridor beyond.

Sounds of chairs scraping against the floor sounded as everyone got up to go back to their dorms. The Gladers stood up as well and joined the throng of bodies to the doors, not having the enthusiasm of feeling safe as they went to bed. As Haru made his way to the doors, he bumped into someone but before he could say anything, someone leaned into him, whispering so close to his ear it made his skin tingle. "Wait for me at your dorm at 11 pm tonight. I have to show you something." He didn't have time to bite back a reply as the redhead from earlier walked away, leaving him in the dust.

…

Haru couldn't sleep that night, which was a good thing as he had to wait for the guy anyway. He shuddered in the cold, the cold air unnatural and unlike the Glade, where they had fresh air most of the time. Rin was snoring in his bunk, his pillow clutched tightly to his chest while Makoto was letting out soft moans in his sleep. Nagisa was sleeping a bit fitfully, his head buried underneath his pillow as he slept. The other Gladers were knocked out as well so he didn't have to worry about explaining his disappearance to anyone as the grills to the gutter skidded across the floor.

Haru nearly slammed his head into the roof of his bunk as the redhead put up a finger to be quiet, beckoning him to enter. For a big guy, it was surprising he managed to fit in that place. "Come on," he hissed as he scrambled back in, Haru forced to squirm after him. Space was a bit tight fitting and Haru felt cluster phobic after crawling for a while. After zigzagging through a maze of air vents, the redhead put up a hand to tell him to stop before scooting to the side to let Haru see what was below.

Haru peered from the grills, craning his neck as he heard voices coming from below and the sound of wheels scraping against the concrete. "Last batch for the night. Man! Can't wait to go to bed!" someone groaned as they pushed a large box through the doors. A doctor slid her card over it, the doors swishing open as she snapped, "Hey, Ryugazaki-kun! Get your butt in here!" "Hai, sensei!" he called, the young scientist sweating as he went in, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down his throat as the older woman sighed.

"You have been doing this for a while already. There's nothing to be afraid of." "But… is it right to be robbing people of their lives when they've been through so much and there might not even be a cure for the Flare…" he stammered as she cuffed him around the head. "You cannot have second thoughts about it! This is science! We have to test and retest until we get the results, no matter the cost of it all! As a scientist, you better get your priorities straight." Ryugazaki nodded, murmuring an apology under his breath as he pushed the box into the room, the woman following after him. Haru had long enough to figure out what was inside the box as it passed through he double doors.

The surface of it read the vital signs of a human inside. A cloth covered the person's face, hiding them from view as they were wheeled in one after another. Judging from the number that entered, it was the same group that had been called out earlier that day at dinner. "Once they go in, they never come back out. They're not bringing them to Paradise. They're killing them," the boy murmured as he sat back a little, his head banging the space above him as he scowled, "After the Maze, I thought we had a shot of getting out of here. After they took my buds away and left me alone, I began to think I was unlucky but guess I wasn't."

"How did you find out about this?" Haru whispered as the guy chuckled, "Since there's nothing much to do, I've been scouting around the facility in the air vents. Found out some pretty interesting stuff about these guys. Long story short, if we want to get out of here alive, I say we leave as soon as possible." "These people, they're from WICKED as well?" "Yep. Darn those bastards, never leaving us in peace." Haru shivered from the cold and fear of what was unfolding below him. Just what did these people want with a bunch of kids like themselves?

"Let's get in there," he muttered as the redhead laughed dryly. "You think I wouldn't have done that? I wanted to but we need an access keycard from one of the workers here and I don't think you can waltz up to one of them and ask nicely." "Don't worry. I got a plan." "For a guy who looked like he's dreaming half of the time, I hope so." Haru glared at him as the guy laughed. "Anyway, we never got to properly introduce ourselves. I'm Asahi. You?" "Haruka." "Man, that sounds so girly." "Don't blame me. Nearly everyone from my Glade has a girly name." After making their plans to meet the next night, they said their goodbyes and headed back to their respective dorms, Haru hoping he had managed to find a way out of this hellhole.

…

With a little help from his friends and a scuffle during lunch, Haru managed to swipe the keycard of the guard who had ticked him off the previous day and made his way to Asahi, who came to pick him up later that night. As they crawled through the air vents, Haru's heart pounded as they crawled to what was deemed Paradise. Asahi lifted the grill, letting Haru drop down first before landing softly, swinging the grill shut as Haru swiped the card across the panel. The door whooshed open, the smell of medicinal drugs filling the air with a sickly sweet scent when Asahi gasped, "No way." Lined up in neat rows in large tanks were Grievers, all in the stages of being grown. They pulsed as the Grievers squirmed in their tanks, one of them rolling in the liquid to open a beady eye to look at Haru.

"Shit. Those bastards were behind them too?" Asahi hissed as Haru opened the second door that leads to a corridor. Both boys froze, Haru's blood turning to ice as he saw rows and rows of teenagers hung like puppets from the ceiling, tubes snaking around their arms and heads and sucking liquid from them. They were all barely alive, if not close to death or already dead as they hung like pigs for slaughter. "This is madness," Asahi whispered as he scanned the faces for anyone he knew, some of them he recognized from his time in the Maze. Haru didn't recognize any of the Gladers so he let himself breath just for a moment as Asahi hissed, "Hide!"

The front doors had hissed opened and Nao was walking in with Ryugazaki, who was fumbling with his IPad as Nao spoke to him, "You got all the data ready right?" "Yes, senpai!" he squeaked as Nao smiled a cold smile, "If you mess up one more time, I'm going to have to send you to one of the harsher facilities in Japan. Do we have a deal?" "Yes!" the boy squeaked as Nao checked his watch. "Its time," he murmured as the mirror at the back of the room turned into a screen, a man shrouded from view sitting at his desk as both boys bowed. "Director, good evening," Nao said as the man boomed, 'You have the results?"

"We do indeed. From young Ryugazaki-kun's research here, we're close to obtaining a cure from the survivors of the Mazes. It's only a matter of time until we find the cure," Nao smiled as the director hissed, "Whats wrong, boy?" Nao turned to see Ryugazaki sweating, his hands shaking so badly he could drop the IPad at any moment. "Sir, I don't mean to interrupt, but I never meant to use humans as harvest material for the cure. I thought we were just experimenting to see how they react to the Mazes…" "And then harvest the fluids produced in them for the cure," Nao finished before the boy could say anything, forcing him to clamp his mouth shut.

"I have faith in you, Ryugazaki-kun. You've been the brightest mind other than Hiyori and Nao to grace WICKED. I pray that you won't fail us," the man growled as Rugazaki dropped into a low bow. "Of course, sir." "Then, if you'll excuse me, I believe this meeting has been adjourned," he said as the screen died, leaving both of them in silence. "Ryugazaki-kun," Nao started as Ryugazaki squeaked, "Excuse, me, senpai!" as he ran out of the room. Nao clicked his tongue as he started to walk out before he stopped to look at where Haru and Asahi hid. Both boys held their breath as the scientist shrugged before walking out of the room, the doors slamming shut as they came out of their hiding place. "Haru…" Asahi whispered, his face pale as Haru nodded, "We have to get out, tonight."


	12. Jailbreak!

**Well, this story is at its 12th chapter, which is pretty good so far I hope. More or less almost done writing it all down but I'll just release it on a daily basis for kicks.**

 **I don't own the characters.**

Makoto and the others sat on the bunks, their gazes fixed on the small hole Haru had crawled into about 20 minutes ago. Makoto's foot tapped on the ground, Rin fiddling with his hair as Nagisa muttered, "Its been half an hour." Makoto flinched about something having happened to the two boys but they couldn't lose hope for now. "I'm going after them," he said as Rin snapped, "Don't be stupid! Those two could barely fit in that space!" "I know but I can't just sit here and wait for them to come back when they're in danger!" he snapped as the air vent shivered with movement.

"They're back!" Nagisa shouted as quietly as he could as Haru exited the air vent, Asahi at his heels as Haru leaped to his feet and began to push beds towards the door, confirming their worse fears. Without needing any instructions, the boys began to barricade the door, tying bedsheets to the doorknob and piling beds on each other as Asahi hissed, "Come on! Start getting into the air vent!" He dove in to lead the way as the Gladers moved in one by one. "Go! I'll catch up!" Haru snapped as Rin and Makoto dove into the air vent as he crawled in underneath them.

After what seemed like forever, Asahi kicked open the door to find themselves in the corridor. They made a head count of everybody, which was around six Gladers, one of them having been taken away earlier that day as Haru hissed, "Which way?" "Go down that corridor. I'll join you in a minute! Got something I like to do," Asahi grinned as he sprinted down the corridor, the other Glader named Yamamoto following him as the main group sprinted down the hall. As they pulled into a corner, they yelped as someone in red rimmed glasses shrieked, papers flying onto the floor as he yelled, "What the hell?"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Rin pined him against the wall and put his hands to his back. "Don't kill me, please," the boy begged as Rin snarled, "As if I should trust a guy working for WICKED." "I don't have a choice! I either do it or I get killed!" he yelped as Haru put his hand on Rin's shoulder." "He didn't mean to cause all this, Rin. Let him go. He might be able to get us out of here," he said as Rin snarled, letting the scientist go as Ryugazaki pushed his glasses. "Well then, glasses-boy, lead the way," Rin snapped as he scowled, "My name is Ryugazaki Rei, not glasses boy!"

As both boys glared at each other, the sound of shouts from all directions propelled them to save their bickering for later as they ran down the corridor, Rei's coat flapping in the air as he made a turn. "They're keeping one of your friends in here. I don't know why they wanted to isolate him though," he said as he swiped the keycard in his hand, shouting, "This is a takeover people!" The Gladers pilled into the room, the scientists within shrieking as the guards were taken down by Rin and Nagisa. Makoto propped a chair against the door knob to prevent more from entering as Haru raced over to Ikuya, who lay motionless on the bed.

"Oi, Ikuya! Wake up!" he urged as the other boy slowly opened his brown eyes. "Haru… what the…" he murmured as Haru got to work to yanking out all the wires from his body despite Rei's protests about having to make sure he didn't pull out the wrong wires. "We're busting you out of here, that's what!" Rin shouted as he cocked a gun and ran to the door, shouting, "Oi, Rei! Break the glass!" Rei yelped as Haru tossed him a chair and he reluctantly slammed it into the window, barely breaking it as shouts came from the other side.

"Come on, guys!" Nagisa yelled as he aimed his gun at the door, prompting Rei and Haru to snatched more chairs and smash them into the window, Makoto supporting Ikuya as glass rained all over them. Rin quickly puts a bedsheet to prevent themselves from getting cut while climbing and the Gladers clambered to the other side as a soldier yelled, "Freeze!" "Don't think so!" Rin snapped as he shot the guy, static running over his body as he fell to the ground, twitching as Haru muttered, "Nice." "Hey, I wanted to do that!" Nagisa pouted as Rei shouted, "This way!"

They ran down the corridor, grey turning into white as they reached the main door that leads to the loading bay. Rei ran ahead, sliding his keycard into the acess panel with no success. "No no no," he murmured as Nao spoke, "I see you turned against us." Rei gulped as he turned to face his former senior, the older boy surrounded by men in visors as they aimed their guns at them. "You think you can survive out there in the Scorch? You might have survived the Maze, but you wouldn't be able to survive a day in the Scorch without our help. If the elements don't get you, the Cranks will!"

The word Crank sent chills down their spines but the boys rather face the horrors in the outside world than stay there any longer. "We're doing a good deed for the world by using you survivors of the Maze as our test subjects. We're so close to finding the cure now that we have you in our custody. Just cooperate. Your lives won't be in vain," Nao smirked as he reached out towards them, his hand beckoning for them to come forward. Ikuya slowly pushed himself off Makoto, earning a sneer from Nao as he murmured, "And as you would say, WICKED is good? I heard enough bullshit from you people."

Those words rocked Haru to his core, remembering how he had had dreams of people whispering the words over and over in his mind as his jumble of memories attempted to make it to the surface. He shuddered as Nao let his hand drop to his side before pulling out a stun gun. "I tried but I guess I have no choice," he sighed as the door hissed open from the other side, a triumphant Asahi holding the wires of the door as he grinned, "It worked!" Nao's mask slipped into an ugly snarl as he yelled, "Don't let them get through!"

As the men charged forward, all the Gladers ran through the door as Haru stepped forward, shooting at them with the gun he managed to snag as Rin yelled, "Get over here!" Asahi gasped as the door began to close, the steel squealing against the walls as Ikuya yelled, "Haru!" "Run faster!" Makoto shouted, Nagisa doing the same as Asahi yelled, "I can't keep it open!" Haru fled with all his might, his legs screaming as he slid under the door, narrowly avoiding crushing his fingers as he slid to the other side, jumping to his feet as Rin smashed the control panel on the door.

Nao snarled from the other side, hissing that they would regret their decision as they turned to run. As they ran, more and more soldiers poured into the loading area, shooting at them as they ducked behind cars and leaped over crates. Surprisingly, Rei was in pretty good shape for a scientist, managing to match their pace as they came to the main doors. "Here goes nothing," Asahi murmured as he slammed the red button, the doors hissing open as sand blew inside and hit their faces. The air was cold but they didn't think twice about it as they ran into the sand dunes beyond.

"Come on! They couldn't have gotten that far!" soldiers yelled at each other as Humvees and bikes roared into the dunes, searchlights fanning out as they searched for the runaways. Asahi hissed for them to back deeper into the sand when Ikuya spotted something. "Get in here!" he snapped as he pointed toward a building buried in the sand, the windows broken in by the elements. "You crazy? Cranks like to lurk in these kinds of places!" Rei snapped as Ikuya shrugged, "Do you have a better idea?" before dropping into the gloom below.

The boys didn't have the strength to retort as they leaped in one after the other, soft sand softening their fall as they rolled onto their feet. Haru shivered as Asahi popped open a flashlight he had stolen, the beam shining onto the ground in front of them as Rei gulped, "We're not alone." As the light shone into the gloom, the sight of fresh footprints leading inside continued to trail beyond as Rei shivered, his coat not doing well in shielding him in the cold. "Guess we don't have much of a choice, do we?" Nagisa murmured as they made their way deeper into the building.


	13. Crank madness

**The latest episode... I can't even... gah... I'm going to die from all the fangirling I did in twenty minutes... ahhhhh!**

 **Ahem, on to the story.**

 **I don't own the characters.**

The boys made their way down the corridor, the building revealed to be an old shopping mall. Mannequins rose from the shadows, creeping out Makoto once in a while whenever he accidently shone a light on them and the sound of rats and various other rodents scurrying around filled the air. The boys broke into one of the disused stores, riffling through boxes to find warmer clothing for themselves. Rin grinned when he found a jacket with a shark on it, although Ikuya made a comment that just made him an easier target to spot to he swapped it with a leather one with matching leather gloves. Haru found a dark blue jacket and pulled it on, warming him to the bone.

"While you guys go look for supplies, Haru and I will go try to see if there are any survivors or an exit from this place," Rin said as Rei gaped, "Are you mad?! With all those Cranks going around, there's no telling if you'll get infected!" "We have to unless you want to volunteer for the job." Rei's lip quivered as he considered the offer before going back to work to rummaging for supplies. They bid each other farewell before walking to the main atrium of the building, moonlight spilling from the broken dome above them when Rin let out a low whistle.

"People lived down here," he muttered as they came across an encampment of tents, the bottles, and tents disused for years. There seemed to be no sign of life but RIn got his gun ready in case while Haru held the knife in his hand for dear life. Blood rushed through Haru's head, making him feel faint and combined with his heart pumping very hard, he felt like he needed to sit down. "Yo, Haru," Rin whispered, for the first time sounding shaky about volunteering for the situation.

"To tell you the truth, I'm damn scared about this whole Scorch and Cranks crap. After going through the maze, it seemed like a joke now," he said, chuckling a little as he scanned for the main power switch. His light shone onto piles of old clothing and rotten food as he prayed Cranks, whatever they were and he didn't want to find out, wouldn't find them and let them be on their merry way. "Who isn't?" Haru murmured as Rin gulped, "Its just… I don't want to die out here. Not after everything we've been through. I have a feeling that I have to survive to meet someone, someone important to me."

Haru didn't want to say anything to that as Rin chuckled, "Sounds stupid eh?" "No, it doesn't." Rin was a little surprised at that comment and how dry Haru could be as he clapped a hand on his back, earning a scowl from him when he grinned, "Jackpot." In front of them, a large sign read in Kanji "Danger. High electricity voltage!" However, the scene was disturbing due to the numerous stuffed toys and flowers tied to the fence, clustered around the picture of a small Japanese girl in pigtails, a smile on her face even though the world had turned to shit.

"Hey, Rin. Should we really be turning on the lights?" Haru hissed as Rin fumbled around the power box, his hands flipping switches as Rin murmured, "Only one way to find out." He prayed as he flipped the switches one by one, power flowing through the circuits to bring the building to life. Lights turned on in every direction, the encampment lighting up but before Rin could grin and let out a sigh of relief, the sound of inhuman shrieking filled the air as something slammed into the fence, making them jump as the creature screamed, clawing at them. It didn't take them long to realize that it was the little girl from the photo, now a mindless zombie.

"Holy shit!" Rin gasped as Haru yelled, "Incoming!" More Cranks had begun to run into the area, shrieking and gurgling as they charged, the boys running for their lives as Rin took aim with his gun. "Don't shoot! It might just make them madder if you miss!" Haru shouted as Rin snapped, "Fine!" As they ran, the pounding feet of Cranks filled the air as they slid into the corridor their friends were waiting. "Haru-chan! Rin-chan!" Nagisa yelled as Rin shouted, "Run!" "Oh no!" Rei yelled as they turned tail and ran, the Cranks at their heels.

"Why the hell did you turn on the lights?" Rei shrieked as Rin snapped, "You got any better ideas on how to see around here?" "Well, you had to wake them up!" "Shut it and keep running!" Ikuya snapped, forcing both of them to shut it while they ran for their lives. Asahi looked ready to blow his top as he turned around occasionally, his stride increasing ever so as they ran up the flight fo stairs. "What the shit are those things?" he gasped. "Cranks! People who have been infected by the Flare. Over 90% of Japan's population has been reduced to that!" Haru heart pounded as he thought of how slim their chances of surviving were now that they knew the Flare existed.

They barreled up the stairs, their flashlight swinging wildly in their hands as the Cranks raced after them. One of them grabbed Ikuya by the ankle but he grabbed a long rod with cement at the bottom, clubbing the Crank on the head. The Crank crumpled as they ran up, their legs already tiring from the long run. Along the way, Yamamoto was snatched away by the Cranks, his screams filling the air as he was pulled to pieces but they had no choice but to leave him behind unless they wanted to share the same fate."How the hell do we get out of here?" Asahi yelled as Nagisa shouted, "Let's try this way!" They crammed into a small tunnel, squeezing through to find a door that had a bar across. "Shit, locked!" Rin snapped as Nagisa turned, "Open the damn thing! I'll keep them occupied!" He snatched Rin's gun from his hand and took aim at the Cranks starting to claw their way into the tunnel.

"Hurry!" he yelled as the boys slammed their bodies into the door. The door barely moved due to the rust caking the sides, holding it in place. "Come on, open!" Asahi yelled as Makoto yelled, "Nagisa!" "Don't worry!" Nagisa shouted back as he began to fire shots, slowing down the Cranks just by a bit as Ikuya yelled, "Push!" With one last yell, the door broke open and the boys filed in, Nagisa turning to enter when a Crank snatched him at the leg. The small boy shrieked and screamed as he was dragged away, Rei barely catching onto his hand as he yelled, "Let me go! Save yourselves!"

"I'm not leaving you, Nagisa-kun!" he yelled as the boys grabbed onto Rei and pulled Nagisa together. Nagisa howled as the Cranks clawed into his skin, breaking flesh as he shrieked in pain. Finally, the managed to get him thorugh, his shirt soaked thorugh with blood as Rin and Makoto slammed themselves against the door. "We'll hold them back for a bit! The rest of you get running!" he yelled as Haru and Rei grabbed Nagisa at the shoulders and hauled him down the hall, the smaller boy breathing ragged breaths as Rei tried to compress the wound.

"Letting them out in there, two, one!" Rin yelled as he and Makoto released their hold on the door, Makoto stumbling a little as they barreled after their friends, their legs tearing across the floor as they scanned for a place to hide. After running what seemed the whole night, Asahi found a small place for them to make camp, all of them hiding underneath large boulder as the Cranks tried to sniff them out. Not having any energy to say anything, all of them dozed off into afitful sleep, only praying that they would be able to be alive the next morning.

…

Once dawn broke, the boys made their way across the sand dunes of the Scorch. The city was covered in sand, miles of it stretching as far as the eye could see. Nagisa hobbled along with a makeshift crutch, groaning every so often as Rei insisted they make a stretcher for him. "No time. Will only… slow everyone down," Nagisa would say as he prevented anyone from going near him save Rei, who checked his wound every other hour. The walk was long and slow, the wind beating their faces and the occasional WICKED helicopter flying past searching for them. By the time afternoon came around (which was hard to tell because the sun seemed pretty messed up at that point), they managed to reach the edge of the city, which they managed to identify as a torn Osaka. They even manage to find the remains of Universal Studios as they crossed the bridge, the only things standing were large Titans 50 feet tall, beasts that they wished they could call to their aid in this time.

As they stood at the edge of the city, the sun glared at them from above. "There should be a small town from here. Maybe we can take shelter there," Rei murmured, raking his brain about the map of Japan. Nagisa was panting as he cupped his eyes to try to see further. "Hey, Nagisa, you sure you don't need rest?" Makoto asked just as the boy slumped into the sand. The others quickly gathered around and with some luck, managed to finally build him a stretcher and carry him part of the way across the dunes by taking turns. They stopped for a quick break under a small cluster of rocks, taking turns to drink water as Rei tried to figure out where they were.

"If we head north, we should be able to find a town," he murmured as he tried to draw out a map for them in the sand. Haru and Rin stared at it, trying to make sense of it when Makoto let out a yell and a gunshot filled the air. "What the," Rin snapped as he scrambled to the source of the sound to find Nagisa with the gun in his hands, the barrel still smoking as the boy dropped it to the ground, gripping his face as he sobbed. "I'm going mad, am I?" he started to cry more, tears coating his face as the others tried to approach. "He just started to go crazy and tried to shoot us!" Asahi gasped, still in shock of nearly getting shot when Nagisa whispered, "I think its best you guys left me here."

His words hung in the air as Rei pitched forward and grabbed him by the collar. "We are not leaving you! We can get to the town and find someone with medical supplies so we can patch you up!" "Don't you get it, Rei-chan? Without a cure, I won't make it through the night without endangering you all." Rei's voice choked as he held back the tears, cursing himself for not coming up with the cure in the first place. "It's my fault so many have died and now… why did you have to be the one to get injured?" he whispered as Nagisa cupped his face.

"Don't be silly, Rei-chan. It wasn't your fault all of this happened. I'm just glad now I have someone I can trust to keep my friends alive." "Nagisa! Stop talking nonsense! You're coming with us, right?" Rei pleaded as he turned to the others for support. The other stood in a ring, silent as they thought of what they had to do. "It's alright," Nagisa whispered as he lay on his back, lifting his shirt to reveal an ugly wound burying deep into his belly. Asahi tried to stop himself from puking while Makoto tried to stop himself from crying.

"Come on, guys. Don't cry. At least you guys can live on. I've gone on long enough in this world," Nagisa smiled as Rin sobbed, "You moron. You just have to get yourself injured." Makoto didn't say a word as he wiped back tears, kneeling down next to Nagisa as he placed the gun into his hand. "Whenever you're ready," he whispered as Nagisa smiled, the smile that always seemed to hide the pain behind it. "Thank you, Mako-chan." Nagisa turned, smiling at each one in turn as he whispered, "Now, get out of here."

Slowly, the Gladers took their stuff, kneeling to say their goodbyes to him. Haru didn't know what to say to him since he wasn't close but he had been close to a friend to him back in the Glade. Rin cried as he hugged Nagisa, Asahi, and Ikuya feeling awkward as the main group said their farewells before leaving. "I promise. I'll make sure your death won't be in vain. I'll find a cure, I promise," Rei sobbed as Nagisa chuckled, "I know you will." He turned to face Haru, the bigger boy standing back as Nagisa motioned him to come forward.

"Come on, Haru-chan. Don't be sad." "Lay off the –chan." Nagisa laughed a little before coughing blood, making Rei wince as he grabbed his stuff and moved away. Haru knelt next to Nagisa, holding his hand as Nagisa whispered, "Haru-chan, take care of them, will you?" "I promise," Haru said as he kissed Nagisa's hand, standing up as Nagisa laughed, "You looked like a prince just now." Haru tried to hold back the tears as he ran to regroup with the others, the small group leaving Nagisa on his own. As they trudged up the sand dunes, the sound of a lone gunshot filled the air, signaling the end of one more Glader.

 **Don't kill me for killing off Nagisa. I already planned to do that since the beginning so (bowing super low) sorry for doing that... but it ain't gonna get more pretty anyway but I have a few suprises for you guys in the next chapters so stay tuned!**


	14. Allies

**I think its safe to say that we're halfway through with this story. It's been two weeks since this story began and thank you so much to those who have supported it all this while. Even though it's not much, I'm grateful that there are people out there reading this story!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

It has been nearly three days since they've escaped the Maze. From 50 Gladers, there were only three of the original left and three tagalongs. Makoto couldn't stop himself from shaking whenever he remembered the gunshot firing in the air and them not being able to turn back and give Nagisa a proper burial. He had thought of doing it themselves but the thought of shooting the small boy, his heart clenched whenever he thought of it. Rin was silent, every once in a while sniffling as he recalled past memories he shared with Nagisa and Rei, the scientist turned fugitive was wracked with constant guilt, constantly whispering that he would be able to find the cure and cure others in his stead. Haru doubted such a feat could even be possible.

Asahi and Ikuya got along well pretty fine surprisingly, even though Ikuya would say that Asahi pissed him off half the time with questions about how the Maze was like. Ikuya had grown rather withdrawn as the days passed, his eyes constantly looking into the distance as he thought about what Hiyori and Nao said to him. Haru wanted to talk to him soon but they had to reach their destination first. "How much further? Its been nearly two days since we left that mall," Rin muttered as Rei snapped, "Patience! We're almost there!" But even saying that, Rei's voice faltered at the possibility they may be lost or get eaten by Cranks along the way.

That night, they slept in a ring in the sand dunes, not caring about shelter since there was only miles of sand stretching across from them. Haru poked the small fire they had made, the others snoring when he heard someone stand up and walk towards him. Ikuya sighed as he pulled his jacket close, steam coming from his mouth as he murmured, "Why don't I take the next watch?" Thunderclouds rolled over their heads, signs of lightning rumbling in the distance as Haru poked the flames. "Did something happen back at that facility?"

Ikuya's flushed in the dim light as he slowly scraped some of his hair back to reveal a thin line along the base of his neck. Several lines were etched in it as Haru's eyes hovered over it. "I remember it all…" he whispered as he let his hair fall back down, covering the wound as he turned to face Haru, his brown eyes bigger in the light as he said, "You were always special even among the other kids. For some reason, I felt drawn to you. Then the project started and one by one, everyone had to be sent into the Maze at some point. But you didn't fear the Maze, only saying that you would now be free to explore its walls instead of being cooped in the WICKED facility. I wanted to laugh how stupid that sounded but you were so serious."

Haru found himself smiling a little even though he had no recollection of the incident. Ikuya sighed as he scooted closer to the flames to warm himself, staring at the sky as the stars were slowly swallowed by the clouds. He could imagine himself standing on top of the building, staring at it with his older brother and Nao, the three of them talking about the day where they would be able to cure the world. But that dream was a far fetched one. Before Ikuya could say anything else, lightning thundered above them, causing the guys to stir from their sleep when Ikuya squinted his eyes, "Hey I spot light!"

Rei fumbled for his glasses as he sat up straight, squinting into the distance as he yelled, waking up the others. Asahi yawned loudly, rubbing his head as Rin groaned, "What the hell, Rei?" "Light! I see light in front!" Rei shrieked as he gathered his stuff and began to stuff them into his bag. As they packed, more lightning sounded and some even struck the ground behind them. "I think we better run," Haru muttered as they took off at full speed just as the first lightning bolt struck their campfire. The boys scattered as the fire blazed into the sky, a column of fiery destruction as they made it to the light.

None of them bothered to look at each other, only worried about saving their own skins for the timebeing. Occasionally someone would yell about almost getting fried so more or less they knew they were all still there. The light grew brighter as they neared it, their feet starting to slap onto tar as they ducked behind cars to avoid getting sizzled. "Almost there!" Rin yelled when he turned to see the lightning flash before Haru. "Get back!" he yelled as he pushed Haru out of harm's way, taking the hit as it sent him spiraling into the air, landing onto the floor with a hard smack. Haru barely had time to regain his senses as he snatched Rin and hauled him to the warehouse Rei had found.

"Come on!" he yelled as Asahi and Ikuya ran inside. Makoto dashed towards them and helped Haru haul an unconscious Rin into the building, Rei slamming the door as the hinger rattled with the force of the lightning outside. They slid to the ground, panting hard as Rei took a look at Rin. "Rin-san," he murmured as he pressed his fingers to the boy's throat to feel a light pulse. He was considering doing a CPR when Rin gasped, his eyes slowly opening as he murmured, "Am I dead?" "Unfortunately, you're not," Haru said as Rin chuckled, "Dang."

Makoto sighed in relief, wiping away a stray tear as Ikuya and Asahi exchanged weak chuckles with each other. As the Gladers made sure Rin was alright, Asahi wrinkled his nose as he scanned the room they were in, sensing some movement in the shadows. "Wait a minute, where the heck are we?" he murmured just as Ikuya yelled, "Stand back!" A Crank lunged from the shadows, shrieking against its bonds as Asahi slammed into the wall, screaming as other Cranks shrieked at them, their movement sending rattling sounds across the room.

"Hey hey! We got visitors!" someone yelled as light shone from beyond a small door. There was a squeak as two people walked through it, one of them carrying a shotgun while the other nervously carried a bazooka. "Nitori-senpai! Why do you need a bazooka for?" the orange head groaned as the grey-haired guy with the bowl cut squeaked, "We never know when we need to blast someone!" "Sheesh," he groaned when he turned to face the Gladers. Rin sucked in a breath as he scanned the boy's face, how he grinned, his hair and eyes, all of them shockingly familiar to…

"Who are you people?" Makoto asked as the boy grinned, "Name's Momotarou! They called me the Sea Otter of Japan for my quick running! This is my senpai, Nitori!" "Pleasure to meet you," Nitori murmured as a Crank lunged at him, earning a bang on the head with the bazooka. Rin gulped as he approached the boy, Momo grinning as he asked, "Do you remember anything about your past?" "Of course! Why wouldn't I? Speaking of which, have any of you seen my big bro, Seijirou? Big guy, handsome like me? Been looking for him like forever!" Momo said as Rin felt his heart drop. How could he explain Seijirou's death to his brother? "Your brother died in the Maze," Haru said as Rin silently cursed how the guy failed to read the situation.

"You gotta be kidding me! Onichan is so strong! No way he would die in something like that!" Momo began but his throat was bobbing as Rin shook his head. "I'm sorry, Momo, but you're brother is gone." "No way," Nitori whispered as Momo collapsed to his knees, sobbing as he wailed his brother's name, not caring about the Cranks that were trying to kill them.

I'm going to kill those WICKED bastards. First, they took him and then they took her as well… why… why did they have to destroy our family?!" Momo howled as Nitori held him from behind, trying to comfort him when someone spoke, "Oi, don't wail so loudly. You're waking everyone up!" A boy around seventeen stood at the threshold, walking through the Cranks like it was nothing as he hauled Momo to his feet, saying something to Nitori as the other boy nodded and led him away. "Who are you people?" he grumbled as he sized Rin up. "Rin?" he murmured as the red head scowled, "Do I know you from somewhere."

The boy's shoulders dropped in disappointment and sadness as his blue eyes looked into red ones. "They did it to you too, eh? As if they didn't take enough from me," he murmured as he looked at the group. "Come with me if you want to survive the night," he said as he marched off to the door, the Gladers huddling into a small group as they walked past the Cranks, trying their best not to pee in their pants in fear as they walked into a large warehouse. People slept around in hammocks, some of them glaring at them, in particular, Ikuya.

"Who are you? Who runs this place?" Rin grunted as the boy sighed, "Name's Sousuke. I help people who manage to escape from WICKED live a life here without getting eaten by the Cranks but things won't be able to be like this any longer. WICKED is stirring up for some reason and I believe it has to do with you people." His eyes raked over Ikuya like he was prey and the boy gulped as Sousuke smirked to himself. "At any rate, you people should get out of here as soon as you can. The people here don't like any of WICKED's pets in their midst."

"As if we even wanted to work for them in the first place!" Rin snapped as Sousuke turned to face Rei. "I remember this one quite well. The new face of the research team, the hope of finding the cure. What a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Ryugazaki Rei," Sousuke smirked as he gave a mock bow. Rei gulped as people crowded around them, sizing them up when Sousuke held up his hand. "No one here is a fan of you lot so you better get your butts out of here by dawn," he murmured as someone shouted, "We've got incoming hostiles from the city!" "What?!" Sousuke shouted as everyone ran to their stations, a boy handing him binoculars to show helicopters rising in the distance.

"Shit. You brought them here," he hissed as Rin glared, "The hell we did!" "We'll deal with them later! Right now, everyone get out of here into the safe zone!" Sousuke shouted as people made for cover when the first of the missiles hit the roof, showering them with glass and plaster. "Good evening, folks! Its your friendly neibourhood scientist, Serizawa Nao. I believe you have some lost kids that belong to WICKED. Surrender them and you might just be able to escape with your lives."

"The hell we'll deal with you devils!" Sousuke shouted as Nitori shouted, "Eat this!" launching the bazooka at the helicopter, singing its side as Nao sighed, "I'll take that as a no." As WICKED soldiers prepared to drop into the warehouse, Sousuke shouted orders to Nitori and Momo, who had recovered from his initial shock and was now out for revenge against WICKED. "Take them to the other side of the city! Take the shortcut!" he yelled as they yelled in agreement, bringing the Gladers to the side of the building to reveal a lone rope leading to the opposite building.

"You nuts?!" Rin yelled as Nitori handed him a hand harness. "If you value your life, you'll go now!" he yelled as Rin resigned to his fate, cursing as he slid down the rope. Makoto grabbed the next one, followed by a shrieking Rei. Sousuke scanned Ikuya face one last time before Ikuya dropped after them followed by Asahi. As Nitori and Momo were about to send Haru on his way, the building shook as Nao's voice echoed, "Shoot that rope!" "Go the other way! We'll meet you at the rendezvous point!" Momo shouted as Sousuke nodded, grabbing Haru's arm.

"This way," he growled as he fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a controller as someone dropped from the roof. "Freeze!" he yelled as Sousuke calmly shot him with his gun, the man dropping to the ground as they stepped over him and ran to an elevator shaft. "In!" Sousuke grunted as Haru sighed, leaping in just as Sousuke pressed the button, sending the whole structure tumbling above them. They rolled into the tunnel just as the shaft caved in, leaving them in darkness until Sousuke held up a torchlight. "Welcome to the sewers," he smiled grimly as they made their way into the darkness.


	15. Escaping the Cranks 20

**Team Samezuka has arrived and are ready for the game!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

Haru and Sousuke walked in silence, the only sound in the air was the occasional squeak of a rat and their feet plodding in sewage water. Sousuke would occasionally cast a glance at Haru's direction, his eyes raking over him as though analyzing his thoughts before turning to the front. "Where are we going anyway?" Haru grunted. "Safe house about halfway across town. The others should be there by now, I hope," Sousuke murmured before saying, "How's Rin doing?" "Why do you care so much about him?" Sousuke's shoulders slouched as though a large burden had been carried off him.

"We were friends back in the early days of WICKED before he was taken into the Maze. We often hung out together and often joked about escaping WICKED together, only that was too late for him. Before we managed to escape, Rin was taken into the Maze. Panicking, I did all I could just to save my own skin from WICKED and found myself here having to take care of other runaways. Momo and Nitori were the only ones I managed to help escape but I vowed to return for Rin one day. But now with his memories gone…" Sousuke's voice choked before he cleared his throat, "Anyway, that's in the past. For now, we have to concentrate on getting everyone to safety."

As he said that, his light shone into a water logged tunnel, the water rushing at their feet as a lone rat scurried across the damp. It squeaked as it ran over their shoes, turning into one of the tunnels when it was suddenly snatched up by a hand and swallowed whole, the sound of crunching bones filling the air as Cranks emerged from the shadows. "Holy shit!" Haru gasped as Sousuke clicked his tongue. "Head back!" he yelled as they ran, the sound of Cranks running after them filling the air with their shrieks. Why did the Cranks have to be such good runners? They were supposed to be slow and stupid like in the movies!

Sousuke led him through a maze of tunnels before they burst into the sunlit air, finding themselves trapped in a ring of collapsed buildings. Knowing there was no other option, Sousuke began to lead the climb up one of them, occasionally helping Haru up as Cranks started to burst into the light. "I thought they only attacked in the dark!" Haru yelled. "These are way past the Gone! Nothing affects them now except bullets, and even then you have to be lucky!" Sousuke yelled as he shot one of them, sending the creature tumbling to its death. He hauled Haru into one of the toppled buildings and they scrambled to begin climbing it to the top.

Haru gulped as he tried not to look down, his feet sending spiderwebs across the glass whenever he touched it. They were a hundred feet in the air and he was not a fan of heights, his knees knocking together as Sousuke yelled, "Hurry up!" Haru snorted to himself as he clawed after the other boy, his mind begging for this hell to stop when a Crank dropped from above. "Haru!" Sousuke yelled as Haru managed to dodge it, only for the Crank to scramble after him. Haru yelled as he tried to block it when Sousuke shot at it.

Sousuke ran over and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him as fast as he could as he tried not to think of all the Cranks after them. He hated the fact that they could move in the light as well and now that he had Haru with him… the way Rin had been more familiar with him than himself, he felt a ping of jealousy from his heart. He was going to help Rin get his memory back, whether he liked it or not. Although he didn't know what he could tell Rin about Gou since she had gone into the Maze as well…

Sousuke was shaken from his thoughts when a Crank appeared on top of them. Cursing how they manage to move so fast, Sousuke quickly pushed Haru out of the way just in time for the Crank to drop on top of him. He yelled as he was slammed into the glass, the glass cracking under his weight as the creature trashed above him. Haru looked around wildly for a way to get the creature off him but he could only find an iron rod. "Smash it into the glass!" Sousuke yelled as Haru shouted, "You'll fall!" "Don't mind me! Just do it!" Sousuke yelled as he felt the Cranks fingers dig into his skin. He gritted his teeth as he tried to ignore the pain, kicking the Crank with his foot as it sank its teeth into him.

"Shit!" he thought as Haru slammed the rod into the glass, shattering it as the Crank fell to its doom. Sousuke barely managed to grab onto a steel beam as his body dangled below, his legs turning to jelly as he cast a glance at how far he would fall. "Hold on!" Haru shouted as he grabbed him by the arm, pulling him with all his might and supporting him against his shoulder. "Why did you have to be built so heavily?" he grunted as Sousuke chuckled, "Figting Cranks is hard work."

Both didn't speak until they made their way through the pile of collapsed buildings. They collapsed in an alleyway, signs of people moving about and living their lives filling the air as they panted, Sousuke ripping part of his jacket sleeve to make a bandage for his leg. Haru gulped as blood oozed from the wound, the boy barely hissing as he tied it. "Should take care of it for now," he grunted as he pushed himself to his feet and hobbled down the road. He guided Haru to an old hotel where a bunch of women were wearing skimpy outfits, one of them batting her eyelashes at him.

"My my. Whats a pair of young boys such as yourselves doing in this sort of place? Do you want to have some pleasures of women?" she purred as Sousuke batted her outstretched hand away. "We're here to see Mikhail." "Oh, here to see the boss? My, that's no fun," she pouted as she swayed away, moving to lead them to an upper room where people were swaying to the beat, not caring about the world as Haru's head began to spin. "The air has been drugged. Be careful," Sousuke murmured as he pulled a cloth over his face but Haru began to get more groggy by the second. He grasped at his throat, clawing for fresh air as he saw some of his friends moving before him.

He thought he saw Rin lounging on the couch, a drink in his hand as he beckoned him forward. Makoto was twisting in the corner in pain, his face in the process of turning into a Crank whilst Nagisa was sitting nearby, a smile on his face as he played with the gun they had given him, his face riddled with holes. Asahi was lying flat on his back, his eyes glazed over as women prowled over him, ready to lay him bare. The only one seemingly unaffected was Ikuya, who moved over to Haru to grab him by the hand. "Haru, you're safe," he murmured as Haru pushed himself away from him.

"Get away from me," he murmured as Ikuya chuckled. "Come on, have a bit of a rest," he said as he attempted to drag Haru to where Asahi was. Rei was red from embarrassment as people clawed at him, trying to get away from them. Sousuke was nowhere to be seen and Momo and Nitori were missing as well. "This isn't real. This isn't real," he murmured when Ikuya warped into Hiyori, a sneer on his face. "Oh yes this is real, Haru-chan," he grinned as he pushed Haru onto a couch, grinning as he held a knife over his heart. "Leave Ikuya alone," he growled as he plunged it into his chest, Haru waking up screaming as Makoto patted him on the arm.

"Hey, you're safe," he murmured as Haru looked around wildly. The Gladers were gathered in a small room, seemingly having rested from the horrors of last night. Ikuya was silent in the corner, glancing at his direction every so often as Rin and Sousuke talked, making plans on what to do. Momo and Nitori were taking an inventory check on their weapons while Rei ran formulas in his head. "You've been out like a light for a few hours, Haru. You feeling better now?" Asahi asked as he handed him a glass of water. Haru didn't bother to reply as a man trudged in, his blond hair glinting in the light as he threw open his arms, "Welcome to my party, boys!" He had a slight accent as Sousuke explained, "He got trapped in Japan when the sun flares hit so he speaks Japanese pretty well."

"Oh no, but I do speak it well enough to hold parties such as this. I could use some younger help, those old ladies no longer make the guests that entertained. Why don't you come and work for me sometime soon, Sousuke-kun? I could use someone with muscles such as yours?" he purred as Sousuke growled, "Enough with the jokes. Tell us how to get out of here." Mikhail laughed as he poured himself some alcohol. "No can't do kids. A man's got to do what he has to do to survive," he said just as someone socked him in the face.

Rin growled as he held Mikhail by the scruff of his neck, the glass falling to the ground as he yelled, "You're the one who turned us over to those bastards? How could you after all the shit that happened?" "As if I had a choice! They threatened to kill anyone who doesn't report about you boys to them! Plus, they said they could get me back home to my home country, Russia! I want to go home so badly, don't you guys get it?!" he yelled as Rin slowly let him drop to the ground, gasping as he gripped his throat. Sousuke placed a hand on Rin's shoulder, murmuring something to him that made him relax a little as Sousuke glanced at Momo and Nitori.

"Both of you, go get Iwa-chan," he said as Mikail's eyes widened, "Oh hell you're not taking my baby!" "Really, Sousuke-senpai?! Can I drive?!" Momo shouted as Nitori squeaked in protest. "Fine, you can drive. Just get us there in one piece," Sousuke said as Momo whooped in joy and ran down the stairs, Nitori running after him as Sousuke turned to face Mikhail. "I appreciate all the work you have done for us, but its over. Don't push your luck that I didn't decide to kill you," Sousuke snarled when Mikhail chuckled, "I see… oh, I see now. You don't have long now, don't you?"

Sousuke stepped back from him as Mikhail laughed more, his face red as he spoke in a torrent of Russian. "Ah, my boy. After so long, how did you managed to get so careless?" he sneered as Rin stood up to Sousuke, "Oi, what is this moron talking about?" "Nothing," Sousuke murmured as he turned to face the man one more time. "Rin, do you feel like punching and tying up someone?" he asked as Rin cracked his knuckles. "Thought you never asked," he grinned as Mikhail's wails filled the air.

Once they were done with Mikhail, Sousuke led them to an underground garage where a large van was parked. It was quite new for something that managed to survive the apocalypse and Momo was grinning madly as he sat behind the wheel, Nitori looking like he wanted to die. "Come on, kids! Time for a ride!" he called as everyone piled into the vehicle. Sousuke sat at the back, closing his eyes as he started to snore, not leaving anyone any room to ask him about earlier as the car pulled into the roads of the Scorch.

 **OK the party scene was weird and all but hey, gotta add it in. Hehe.**


	16. Betrayal

**If anyone knows where I can watch stage plays of anime like Touken Ranbu and what not with eng subs, let me know! Been a bit crazy over them for the past 24 hours.**

 **I don't own the characters.**

Iwa-chan raced through the desert, Momo singing a tune as he drove, surprisingly good for someone who had never driven in his whole life. Probably because there was zero traffic on the road to stop him from banging into someone. As they passed through the city and through suburbs, Haru caught sight of fallen communication towers and run down buildings, no signs of life save for the occasional Crank or animal in the area. Most of them slept the whole way, snores filling the car as Haru tried to make himself comfortable. He kept an eye on Sousuke, praying that the bite hadn't been infectious as they headed deeper into the mountains.

The mountain top had been sheered off and the road scarred with holes and abandoned vehicles. "There's supposed to be a safe zone on the other side of the mountain. We were due to head out in a few days but you guys showed up so we had to make do with what we had," Nitori said as he clutched his gun, occasionally turning to look at his sleeping leader. "How did Sousuke find you?" Haru asked. "We were transferred to the same sleeping quarters as Sousuke-senpai and he told us of his plan to escape. There were more of us but they're all dead now." Nitori gripped his bazooka as though it was the only thing that stayed by his side until now.

"But Sousuke-senpai is a great person, always putting himself before others even when he's sick or injured. He injured his shoulder badly a year ago during a fight and it has been healing slowly since. If anything happened to him…" Nitori sniffled as Momo patted him on the back. "Don't worry about it, Nitori-senpai! Sousuke-senpai is too awesome to die from something like that! We'll be fine once we get to the mountains!" he grinned just as a gunshot hit the hood of the car.

"Holy shit!" Momo yelled as he swerved the vehicle, letting it turn 360 degrees a few times before it crashed into the wall. The Gladers woke to the sound, Makoto quickly pulling everyone out of the van as another gunshot landed on the hood. "Out!' Makoto yelled as Sousuke stumbled out, wincing on his bad foot as Haru stepped out. "We come in peace!" he yelled as Makoto dragged him for cover. "Are you mad?! They could be savages for all we know!" Rei snapped as people descended from the mountaintop. Asahi peered from behind the car they hid behind, searching for the gunner when he gasped, getting to his feet before Ikuya could pull him back.

"Get back here, baka-Asahi!" he snapped as Asahi yelled, "Don't shoot!" "And why shouldn't we shoot ya?" someone yelled as another person shouted, "Stand down!" A boy their age approached, his cloth mask dangling at his neck as his eyes widened, tearing as he ran towards Asahi, who hugged him tightly. "Asahi-kun! You're alive!" he wept as Asahi tried to stop crying as well. "You moron. Holy shit, I thought you were a goner after what happened at the Maze!" "Well, I don't die so easily…" "Don't jinx it!" As both of them bickered, the others stepped out into the open to be met with a group of teenagers armed with guns. One of the smaller gunners squeaked as she dropped her gun and ran to Sousuke, the bigger boy enveloping her in his arms as she sobbed, "Sousuke-kun! You're alive!"

"Gou. Long time no see," he whispered as she turned to look behind him, her breath hitching as she recognized Rin. She sobbed as she barreled into him, the red head squeaking in surprise as he caught her, both of them slamming into a car. "Onichan! I thought you were dead!" she sobbed as he slowly patted her hair, not knowing what to do. As far as he was concerned, he didn't know her. Although she did look a bit familiar. "Gou… WICKED took away his memories of us," Sousuke murmured as he slowly pried her off Rin, who looked confused as the girl began to cry hard, sobbing as she whispered to herself. "Why? After mum and dad… why did they have to take him away from me too?"

"We'll get him back. Don't worry," Sousuke whispered as he hugged her, trying to provide her the comfort she needed for the past few years. She had lost her memories too but with the help of one of the doctors from the Safe zone, she managed to regain them. "Maybe I should start with a proper introduction. I'm Gou, your sister," she said as Rin's breath hitched, random memories of a young girl with red hair playing with him in their house as their father told them stories on the tatami mat. Rin sniffled as he embraced his sister, trying as hard as he could to remember her.

"Uh, hate to interrupt, but we have to get out of here. The Safe zone is due to relocate in the next 24 hours," Kisumi, the guy who had been hugging Asahi earlier said as he led the group to the cars waiting for them. The Gladers hopped in, not believing their good fortune as they raced through the mountains to a small clearing, tents pitched and fires going as people went about their daily routines. "We've been here for nearly a month now. Kisumi here has been here for years, trying to find you and rescue you from the Maze," Gou said as Asahi clapped Kisumi on the back. "I never knew you had it in you." "Sheesh."

Haru couldn't help but stare at Kisumi, his hair and eyes matching Hayato's as his voice stuck in his throat. "But I don't know… after hearing how the WICKED bases had been hijacked and Gladers running free, I thought I would have found Hayato by now…" Kisumi whispered as Makoto and Rin looked at each other. They didn't know what to tell the older brother of what happened to Hayato, especially after all the hell he had been through. Haru broke the silence as he took out the small wooden dolphin from his pocket, its surface crusted with dried blood as he whispered, "Hayato didn't make it."

Kisumi gently took the dolphin from him, staring at it for a moment before smiling at Haru, "Thank you. It means a lot to me." As he turned to focus on driving, Haru didn't miss the tears falling from his face, knowing that his hopes of being reunited with Hayato had been dashed. Haru felt the guilt clawing in him about not being able to save the younger boy as Makoto wrapped his arm around him, steadying him as his green eyes told him that he was innocent. For some reason, Haru managed to connect with Makoto really well, looking at each other being enough to tell what the former or the latter were thinking.

They pulled up at the edge of the camp, adults turning to stare at them as they passed, some even hugging their weapons tighter to their chests as they were greeted by a man in his forties, his beard and mustache roughly cut. "Hey, Kisumi! You found them!" he grinned as Kisumi smiled, wiping the tears from his eyes as he shoved the dolphin into his pocket. The man didn't press him for more information as he introduced himself as Goro, head of the camp. "Stay here as long as you like. You're safe now," he grinned as Sousuke swayed on his feet before collapsing into the dirt. "Sousuke!" Rin cried out as he got to his knees, holding up the boy as he shivered, his face deathly pale. "Amakata-sensei! We need help here!" Gou shouted as a woman appeared from within the tent, her eyes rimmed with glasses as she approached.

"What happened?" she asked as Goro flinched, his hand moving to his coat as Rin yanked away the hem of Sousuke's trouser to reveal the wound underneath. "We got a Crank!" Goro yelled as he took aim, others doing the same as Haru shielded Sousuke. "Don't! He can still be saved!" he snapped as Goro shouted, "Are you stupid?! There's no cure for the Flare! You know that right?!" "Goro-san! Calm down!" Amakata-sensei pleaded as Rei got to his feet, his eyes moving to meet Haru as he said, "I believe I have a cure."

The silence in the air was so thick Rei wished he didn't say that but he had to believe it would work. "Please. Let me try this one out. But I would need Ikuya and Haruka for it." Both boys stared at him as he gulped, trying to explain the concept to Amakata-sensei, who nodded as she herself muttered the calculations and formulas in her mind. "Better try then let him die. Come on, boys. Let's get to work." She led them into the tent, the surface of each table covered with test tubes and beakers. She withdrew blood from each of them and mixed them in some liquid, Rei telling her which chemicals to mix as Rin and Makoto carried Sousuke into the tent. His junors stood outside, anxious to see if their senpai was ok.

"He should be fine now," Amakata-sensei whispered as she withdrew the syringe from Haru to drop blood into her mixture, turning it a light blue. "Since the early days of the Flare, it has been evident that there are some people who are resistant to the Flare, although most aren't. Since then, WICKED has been finding ways to replicate it and use it to cure others, but with no luck. It can only be harvested from those immune to the virus. That's where you boys come in," she smiled as Rei pushed his glasses. "In other words, you guys are a rare case of Immunes, children born with the innate ability to resist the Flare. Rei-kun here is one as well and I'm sure your friends outside are as well to have survived the Flare this long."

Haru's heart pounded as he thought of how they could save the world with their blood, but at the cost of their lives. Was it worth it for them to die so others could live? It may seem selfish, but he didn't want to die. "Here, give this to Sousuke-kun for me," Amakata-sensei said as she passed the vial to Rei, who administered it to Sousuke. The bigger boy slowly stopped shaking and color began to return to his face as he lay on the bed, snoring softly as Amakata-sensei put a finger to her lips. "Let him have some rest. You boys should eat something as well. We have a long day ahead if we want to move camp."

….

Haru climbed up the stone, a plate perched in his hand as he grumbled on how Ikuya always seemed to have mood swings and make other people go through the trouble to do work. He didn't understand why the boy didn't want to spit out whatever he remembered about WICKED but he didn't want to press him since he knew what it was like to be constantly pressed for answers he didn't even understand. As he climbed the last rock, he found Ikuya staring at the stars, the small pinpricks of light filling the sky as Ikuya shivered in his jacket.

"Oi, you forgot to come for dinner," Haru said as Ikuya mumbled, "Not hungry." Haru just gave him the food anyway and Ikuya reluctantly began to eat, mumbling a thank you to him. "Been a crazy few days eh?" he murmured as Haru nodded. "I thought the Maze was bad but that seemed like a paradise now after we've seen the state of the world." Haru thought about his previous life and how he wished he could remember his parents. His heart clenched that he had never been able to see them again and had been robbed of a chance to be a normal kid. "So, do you remember anything about your family, Ikuya?"

He didn't expect Ikuya to answer but the boy sighed, "I lost my parents in the early days of the Flare. I only had my big brother take care of me this whole time. Then WICKED found us and took us in. Aniki… he was a very smart person and they figured out they could use him in the early research stages of finding the cure. He was so optimistic that he could find the cure with Nao but then… he had to get sick…" Ikuya's fist clenched against the rock as he bit out, "He didn't get any better and when they tried the drug he was developing on him, he got even worse, turning more into a Crank by the day. Finally, when I came to see him, he had only a shred of humanity left to tell me to kill him. And I… I killed my own brother."

A silent tear fell onto his hand as Ikuya gazed at the stars, catching his breath after recalling something be buried deeply in his mind for so many years. He could still remember Natsuya trashing in his bed, screaming and making inhuman noises as the doctors tried to restrain him. Nao had begged him to go away and not see his brother like that but Ikuya would look, wondering where his big brother had gone. He himself never got sick but why did Natsuya had to be born with immunity? He had cursed himself as the one who should have died, not his older brother. He had nothing to contribute.. nothing…

"Haru, what my brother had gone through happened to so many people. I'm sure the others lost their parents in the same way since adults don't normally have immunity to the virus. That's why… I hope that you understand my decision." The wind whistled in Haru's ears as he tried to process what was happening. "What are you talking about? We're going to be far away from WICKED. You won't have to be a lab rat ever again." Ikuya stayed silent as Haru prayed what he thought was going to happen wasn't going to pass when the sound of blades rotating in the air filled his ears. "Ikuya," he whispered as Ikuya turned to face him, his face wet with tears as he whispered, "Forgive me, Haru."


	17. Hell breaks loose

**Woohoo! Let all hell break loose! I don't own the characters.**

Haru couldn't say anything, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He didn't want to believe what Ikuya had said about his brother dying from the Flare and having to kill him and not to mention that he had betrayed them… Haru instantly got to his feet and ran for it, his feet carrying him to the edge of the camp. He found himself screaming, telling people to run just as missiles hit home, scattering people like ants as they tried to flee. Some lay dead on the ground, having been flung high enough to break their bodies while some were trapped under debris. Others began firing at the helicopter but no luck as they were gunned down.

"Come on, guys! Let's not shoot so we can have a friendly conversation with each other!" Nao chirped from the helicopter as someone, probably, Nitori, aimed his bazooka at him, missing his face by a few inches. "Tch, they won't listen to reason eh?" he grinned as his men began to gun down the shooters. People screamed as they fled for cover, Haru not being able to read their faces as he scanned frantically for his friends when he remembered. "Sousuke!" he gasped as he ran for the medical tent. "Oi Haru! What the hell is going on?!" Rin yelled As Rei whispered, "WICKED has come… they're going to kill us all. We're doomed…" "Rei, get yourself together!" Makoto gasped as he turned to see Asahi and Kisumi running, trying to shoot the men that had descended from the helicopter.

"I'll go find Sousuke! The rest of you get to safety!" Haru snapped as Rin cocked his gun. "Hell no! That guy tried to save us! No way I'm leaving him behind!" he said as he and Haru ran for the medical tent to see it go up in flames. Both were flung back by the blast when someone clamped a hand onto their mouths. "Not a word," Sousuke hissed as he turned to look at them. He looked recovered, his face with more color now as Rin gave him a brofist. "Man, glad you made it!" Rin grinned as he turned. "Going to go find the others. You two go find Gou, Momo, and Nitori so we can get out of here!' he ordered as he made off into the fight.

"Sheesh, that guy just likes to be in a fight, doesn't he?" Sousuke sighed, a small smile on his lips as he got up. He scanned the area for the missing members of his team when he spotted Nitori and Momo getting cornered by soldiers. As he started to move, Haru placed a hand on his shoulder, whispering, "Go take care of them. I'll go help Rin out." Sousuke nodded as he took off, picking up the gun of a fallen soldier as Haru ran for it. He found no sign of Ikuya, the guy probably still hiding in the rocks when he heard Rin shouting in the distance.

"Come on, come and get me, you a**holes!" he yelled as he shot like a madman, Goro on top of a truck with a machine gun attached. "Come on! Rain the big guns!" he yelled as he showered the helicopter with bullets. Men were surrounding them more as the boys tried to fight back, Makoto shouting as he shot with his rifle and Rei throwing grenades at the men. Haru ran towards them, screaming their names when a soldier flung a stun grenade at them, not giving them any time to react before they were sent to their knees, shaking from the electricity as they were dragged away to the middle of the camp where WICKED were busy taking inventory of escaped Maze candidates.

Gou hugged her brother as he was plopped down next to her, growling as a man snatched him by the neck and scanned the base of it, shouting a number as he moved on to do the same to Makoto. Rei didn't get it since he wasn't a Maze survivor but he did get a cynical smile from Nao that said that he would deal with it later. As Nao looked on at the survivors, Goro shouted as he was brought to his knees, blood oozing from a wound in his head as Amakata-sensei tried to stop the bleeding. "You bastards," he growled as someone whistled from the large helicarrier parked nearby, its engines still on casting light onto the people kneeling before it. "Mind your tongue," the boy grinned as Rin growled, "Hiyori."

Hiyori looked well, nothing indicating he had been speared through the heart a week prior as he knelt next to Rin. "Looking well I see. I'll pay you back for what you did to me back there." "I'll gladly skewer you like the pig you are anytime," Rin hissed as he got a backhanded slap from Hiyori. "Whatever," he muttered as Gou shrieked, holding onto her brother as Hiyori got to his feet. "Everything ready to roll, Nao-senpai?" "Yup, just need him to come and we'll be on our merry way." As they spoke, Haru watched as Ikuya descended from the chaos, an expressionless look on his face as he joined the duo.

"Yo, Ikuya. Long time no see. Glad you remember me now, eh?" Hiyori grinned as Ikuya glared at him. "You're still a weirdo. And I thought I told you not to harm anyone here." "Why you traitor!" Rin yelled as Makoto looked at the ground, not having anything to say. "I actually thought you were a good guy!" Asahi yelled as Kisumi held him to rushing and punching Ikuya in the face. "I didn't have a choice…" Ikuya murmured as Nao patted him on the shoulder, "And now, we shall finally be able to finish what we started, what Natsuya started, right Ikuya-kun?" Ikuya stiffened upon hearing his brother's name as Haru stepped into the open.

"Haru!" Makoto shouted as he approached the trio, his blue eyes staring into brown ones as he hissed, "You can still be free from this burden, Ikuya." "This guy did what he had to do and allowed us to obtain the ingredients we needed to finish the cure." "They're not ingredients, they're human!" "We all have to pay a price for the Flare! We didn't ask for the damn thing to happen and only we can fix it, the generation that is able to survive it! If we don't do it, there will be no more humans left in this world!" Hiyori snapped as he gripped Ikuya's shoulder hard, the boy flinching as Hiyori snarled, "I don't know what Ikuya finds so interesting about you, but you were the one that took him off track. I should have killed you from the start!"

"Patience, Hiyori-kun. You'll have your chance later on. But first, let us go back home, Ikuya?" Nao said as Ikuya flinched. Haru reached out his hand, his eyes shimmering as the wind whipped his face, making him wish he could squeeze his eyes shut. "Come with us, Ikuya. You don't have to do this," he whispered as Ikuya shook his head. "I can't let Aniki's sacrifice be in vain." "It won't be if you choose to stop sacrificing innocent lives." "I don't have a choice! I have to do it!" Ikuya couldn't find a way out of this, not after the only people who ever cared for him see him as the only hope. "I'll show you a sight you've never seen before."

Ikuya's eyes widened as he heard the words, going back to the moment where he first met Haru. They had a large pool for them to swim, a treat the children only got to do once in a while. Rin, Makoto, Nagisa, and Haru had been there that day, all of them swimming in a race against Sousuke, who had then still be there along with Momo, Nitori, and Asahi. All of them were screaming Haru's name as he went against Sousuke, his body moving smoothly in the water as he swam. Ikuya thought he saw a dolphin for a moment, swimming in an ocean that no longer existed. As Haru got up from the water, he thought to himself, "I have to see that sight for myself one more time." "Haru…" he whispered, his hand itching to reach into his as Nao whispered, "Don't let Natsuya's sacrifice be in vain." As Ikuya's hand halted in its tracks, a rumble sounded as Momo yelled, "Yo, whats up!"

He and Momo emerged from the bushes, riding a large Humvee as Sousuke spat bullets at the soldiers, the men dropping like rocks as Nao and Hiyori grabbed Ikuya to head for cover. The survivors scattered as they attacked, all of them grabbing guns and shooting at their captors with renewed frenzy. "Come on! Let's get the party started!" Momo yelled as he aimed his machine gun from the window, Nitori taking the wheel as they raced across the sand. Goro got to his feet and ran for his machine gun, yelling as he sprayed bullets into the sky.

"You guys alright?" Haru asked as he pulled Rin, Makoto, and Rei to their feet. Asahi and Kisumi were dragged away by WICKED soldiers, screaming as they tried to break free when they were slapped with restraining cuffs, shocking them to unconsciousness. Rin shouted as he ran towards them, Gou trying to hold him back as they fled the scene. "We got to get out of here!" she yelled as Rin snapped, "I can't leave them!" At those words, he broke away from her, his feet slapping against the dirt as he took aim, shooting WICKED soldiers as Haru yelled, "Rin!" Rin didn't have time to register when a stun gun hit him in the chest, sending him toppling into the ground.

"Onichan!" Gou screamed as Haru held her back, her tears dripping onto his clothes as she struggled to get her brother back. Haru knew it was pointless as he dragged her away, trying to stop his own heart from screaming as Rin was dragged into the helicarrier. As he was dragged on board, Rin opened his eyes for just a moment, a small smile on his lips as he whispered, "Take care of Gou." "Rin!" Makoto shouted as Rin lost consciousness, dragged on board to where Ikuya, Nao, and Hiyori were waiting. Hiyori grinned as he ordered the pilot to take off, Ikuya with an unreadable expression on his face as the ship took away their friends.

Gou spent the entire night sobbing, unable to get over her brother's kidnapping as Makoto tried to comfort her. Rei and Amakata-sensei were going over Sousuke, who had managed to survive the mad attack with Momo and Nitori, and asking him how he felt and comparing notes with each other. "We might have had a breakthrough!" Rei gasped as Amakata-sensei hugged him much to the horror of Goro. The only thing Haru could do was sit down and stare at the spot Rin had fallen and where he had been taken away with Asahi and Kisumi. "We'll get them back, don't worry," Makoto whispered but he himself didn't know what to think. Under his leadership, more than half of the Gladers had died and he wasn't sure that he should even be in charge.

Haru wrapped his arms around Makoto, burying his face into him as Makoto squeaked, shocked at his actions as his face crumbled, sobbing hard into Haru as he cried out all his fears and regrets for the past few weeks. Haru patted him on the back, letting him cry it all out until he finally released him. "Better?" he asked as Makoto nodded, helping Haru to stand up to face Goro. "Goro-san. I'm going after Rin." "Are you mad?! After the hell they sent for you people, they won't let you away so easily next time!" "I don't care. Which is why I'm going alone on this one."

He slung a backpack over his shoulder, earning a surprised look from Goro as Makoto stood next to him, smiling as he did the same. "I'm coming too. Rin was my friend as well," he said as Gou stood up, "Count me in. I'm going to get Onichan back from those people!" "Gou-san," Haru whispered as Rei pressed his glasses upwards. "You'll need a medic!" "And you'll need gunners, right, Nitori-senpai?" Momo grinned as Nitori nodded, his bazooka still in one piece. "Let's go save Rin's butt," Sousuke smiled as Goro whistled.

"Fine. If you kids want to go after them, we'll need to prepare for it. Guns. Ammo. We need all of them. And also a place where we can set up a new base." As everyone exchange information on what to do next, Haru stared at the distance where his friends had been taken away. He gripped the strap of his backpack, making a promise he hoped he could keep. "Rin. Asahi. Kisumi. Ikuya. I'm coming to save you all."

…

Rin lay strapped onto the table, his eyes glazed over as scientists withdrew blood from his arm, making notes as they experimented it on the person next to him. They shook their heads as it became yet another failure, dragging the Crank away as Nao spoke up, "Hey, Ikuya-kun. Time for you to go in as well." Ikuya shrugged as he thought of having to go through the experiment again. "Funny. Even though Rin has been in the Maze for so long and he's an Immune, why doesn't his enzyme fit into the cure…" Hiyori muttered as he ran the calculations in his head.

"Come on. I think we have enough for today," Nao said, his eyes starting to droop behind his glasses as he and Hiyori made their way out of the lab. Ikuya stayed behind, his hand pressed against the glass as he watched an unconscious Rin being wheeled away. He breathed slowly, letting the glass stain with his breath as he whispered, "Aniki, I hope what I'm doing is right. For your sake, I'm going to do this shit."


	18. Rescue op

**I rewatched Death Cure and damn it shanks... it just made me want to cry! Gah! Why! AHHHHHHH! To combta my fangirling nutness, here is another chapter. Let the death cure begin!**

 **Btw I changed parts of it so I would say its about maybe 50% similiar to the movie but hope you guys don't mind so that it would be a bit more original instead of 100% and you guys might not expect certain things. Haha!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

The air was filled with clouds of dust as the Humvee raced across the desert, its wheels kicking up dirt into the sky as the teenagers on board clung onto its sides. Haru looked through the binoculars, its gaze trained on the speeding bullet of steel in the distance, anxious to harvest the cargo they had come to collect. One year. It had been one long year since the war against WICKED had begun and Rin had been taken away from them. Whenever he thought about RIn being dragged away, unconscious along with Asahi and Kisumi and Ikuya, his eyes trained on the ground…

Haru was interrupted from his thoughts as Gou yelled, "Haruka-senpai! Goro-san is on the way with the Berg and will be inbound in five minutes!" "We don't have five minutes!" Rei shouted as Makoto readied the guns. The boys were no longer the innocent souls that didn't dare to fire a weapon. Now, they were ever prepared for taking anyone down even if it means killing them to save Rin. "This is our last shot to get Rin back! We can't fail!" Makoto murmured as he gave the guns and rope to Rei and Haru, who nodded to Gou who swerved onto the train tracks.

"Almost there," she groaned as she hurtled down the tracks, her head hitting the top every so often when Rei yelled, "We got incoming!" A helicopter zoomed above their heads, making a U-turn to aim at their direction. Haru climbed ontot eh hood of the car, jumping aboard the train before helping Makoto and Rei onboard. "Go! Save Onichan!" Gou shouted as she turned the wheel, skidding onto the dirt road once more as the helicopter gave chase. Haru nodded in reply, swinging onto the roof of the train as they began searching for Rin.

"Rin-san! Are you here?!" Rei yelled as Makoto yelled, "Rin! Answer us!" Haru kept his gun trained ahead, shooting down any soldiers that crossed their path. Rei had gotten better at wielding two guns in one shot, his eyes gleaming behind his glasses as he shot them down with ease. Makoto took to using a rifle, hitting each target to let them fall onto the ground. "He should be here," Rei murmured as he counted the number of train cars they had passed.

According to the information they had painstakingly gathered for the past year, Rin and the other children WICKED had sent to the Mazes were about to be taken into WICKED's final stronghold in Tokyo. If they missed this one, it was all over for them to get their friends back. "This one! Separate the cars!" Rei shouted as Makoto slung over the side, removing the blowtorch from his pouch and getting to work to melting down the link of the train. "Stop!" someone yelled above him as Haru shot him square in the head.

"Come on! Where is Goro?" Rei murmured as he shot down more soldiers, more of the pouring in by the minute as a Berg appeared in the sky. Haru smiled as Goro gave them a thumbs up, turning to aim at the soldiers firing at them. The men scattered as bullets rained on them, fleeing as Makoto got melted the link. "Got it!" he yelled as Goro shouted, "Load them up!" He dropped the cables, Haru and Rei grabbing onto them and fastening them onto the sides of the train car as a car sped in. "Goro-san! A little help here!" Gou yelled as the helicopter continued to fire at her. Knowing she didn't have much time, Gou brought the car next to the train and jumped on, letting the car do a flip and smash into the tracks in a ball of flame.

"Gou-san!" Rei shouted as she helped them fasten the cables. Makoto slid the blowtorch into his pouch as Goro took them into the air, all of them grabbing onto the sides as they were lifted into the air. In the car they were transporting, Rin was inside, hopefully. The intel was never that accurate, to begin with, leading to them having to do countless raids in vain. They managed to rescue people, sure, but it was never the same without rescuing Rin. They hoped he was in this one after all this time. Kisumi and Asahi as well.

They made their way to base before Goro finally let the car touch the ground. The boys got to work to breaking the lock open, sliding open the door for the sun to shine harshly on the kids gathered inside. Most of them were more than 13 but some were very young, sobbing as they were freed from their bounds. Some were just staring at the wall, already resigned to their fate as they awaited their release. Others were torn between breaking down into tears or wondering if they had been dragged into another problem.

"Hey, kids. Don't worry, you're safe now!" Goro shouted as he came in, popping open their chains as they made their way out. Gou scanned the car, searching for her brother before Haru shook his head. "He isn't here," he murmured as he slammed a fist into the side. He was so sick of not finding Rin. After everything that had happened, he didn't want to think he could be dead for all they know. Rei and Makoto were helping Asahi and Kisumi out, Asahi much thinner than before. As they passed him, Haru shot him a look of happiness before he turned to look at Gou, who shook her head.

"How much longer until we find him?" she murmured as Goro began the pep talk about them going to the safe haven, an island off the coast that was mainly intact from the Solar Flares that ravaged the earth years ago. They managed to secure a ship and were to disembark on their journey in a few days. "I don't know. We've tried everything but Rin-san," Rei muttered as he wiped his face, exhausted from the day's activities. Makoto stood off a little further from them, his eyes staring into the distance deep in thought.

Haru put his head in his hands, his mind swirling as Asahi and Kisumi came over. "Yo, glad you made it," Haru smiled as he shook their hands, Asahi giving him a light squeeze before they sat down. "Sorry about Rin," Asahi said as Gou shook her head, "I thought we would have found him by now but… I don't even know if he is even alive at this point." She started to sob as Rei tried to comfort her when Kisumi cleared his throat. "He's alive. Don't worry about that. But he has been taken into the stronghold in Tokyo."

"Why the hell do they want to bring him there anyway?" "Rin is what they call… special. They don't have that many runners to work on and his an Immune so they figured that if anyone would be able to be used as the cure, that would be him. The guy looked really bad after all his time with WICKED. I don't think there was even a day where he wasn't locked up in the lab having to go through all those tests." Gou sucked in a breath as she tried not to think about her brother's condition when Rei said, "I think I know where the stronghold is."

Everyone turned to him as the boy tried to hide his face. He never liked the fact that people always asked him about WICKED, something he wished he never associated with in the first place but that was something he could never be free of. "It's in the center of Tokyo. It's a walled city where its supposed to be free of any virus. The Flare is airborne so any other area would lead to contamination if you were even out there. The only reason we're okay so far is that we're immune but for those who aren't... that's the last place in Japan for them to be safe."

"So what you're saying its really hard to get into," Haru sighed as Rei nodded, "Of course, security would be at its maximum. If we break into the facility and all hell breaks loose, it will be the end of those without any immunity against the Flare. They will get infected and only Immunes will survive." His words hung in the air as they thought about their decision. Risk the lives of those who worked so hard to survive until now to save one life. But all of them knew what to do. "Count me in, whatever it takes to save Rin," Haru whispered, his hand gripping the gun Rin had left him with tightly. Rei smiled as he rattled out coordinates to them, Gou nodding her head as she thought of her brother and how they will finally save him.

"We leave tonight," Makoto said as they nodded, scattering to gather their things. Asahi offered to go on the trip while Kisumi stayed behind to take care of things. Goro stared at them from the distance, sighing as he figured out what they were about to do. He knew he couldn't stop them but he didn't want them to get themselves killed either. Amakata-sensei sidled next to him, rubbing his shoulders as he kissed her on the head. "Do they know about him?" he murmured as she leaned against him. Amakata-sensei stared sadly as the group began to make their preparations, not knowing that one of their own didn't have much time.

"Once they get to the area, there will be no stopping of him getting infected. He being able to last this long was a miracle in itself." She remembered the day he came in and told her about how he was worried that he may be infected and she had confirmed his thoughts. The way his eyes had fallen but his smile still there as he resigned to his fate, it was something she always admired about the kind boy. She prayed that they would be able to survive the ordeal as she headed inside with Goro.


	19. Cranks! Beware!

Makoto's gaze was fixed on the road, his hands holding onto the steering wheel tightly as light snores filed the car. He was glad everyone was able to get the rest they needed before their big battle but he couldn't bring himself to sleep even when given the chance. He wiped his eyes, trying to remove the sleepiness from them as he thought about himself. He knew he had always been different from the others and it was by itself a miracle he managed to survive the horrors of the world up until then. He should have been dead a year ago since he wasn't immune to the Flare. He could feel it eating away at him, slowly but surely turning him into something he didn't want to become. Whenever he fell asleep, he thought he might actually attack someone without knowing it but he kept his cool.

"Yo, Makoto. Take a break," Haru said as he leaned against him. Makoto shook his head as Haru patted him on the shoulder, his body slouching as he realized just how tired he was. He had been driving the group throughout the night and they had barely managed to reach the outskirts of the city leading to the WICKED stronghold. He gave up as Haru made him stop the car, allowing him to slide into the passenger's seat and wriggle into a ball, slowly closed his eyes as he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

 _He saw himself standing at the top of some stairs, the wind blowing as he looked at the horizon. The sea had been destroyed during the Sun Flares, leaving it a bare scorched wasteland but Makoto could imagine how it would have looked like if it had ever been there. He vaguely remembered the water sparkling clearly in the sun, boats moving across as fishermen moved about their business. "Makoto, come on in. Its time for dinner," his mother smiled as she held onto his two baby siblings. He smiled as he pinched their cheeks, the twins squealing as their big brother played with them when the scene shifted._

 _He was no longer in his home but he stood at the foot of the hill, his eyes filled with tears as he cried out for his parents. They fought back to get him, his mother screaming as WICKED soldiers tore her infant children from her arms. Her husband tried to fight back only to be shot down by WICKED. "Mum! Dad!" Makoto screamed as he tried to get back to them. His mother lay on the ground, sobbing next to her husband before she was shot as well. Makoto's screams filled the air as he called out for his parents and his sibling whose name's he couldn't even remember. As he was put into the truck, his gaze fell onto a small boy his age, blue eyes sparkling at him. "Are you alright?" the boy asked as Haru's voice penetrated his mind._

"Makoto. We're here," Haru whispered as Makoto woke up. His cheeks were still stained with tears as he hastily wiped them away. They were indeed in Tokyo now, the city littered with broken vehicles and the buildings hollowed out. No signs of life were visible in its streets as they neared the tunnel leading deeper into the city. "Are you sure we should go in?" Gou muttered as Rei held up the map. "Yup. We have to. It's the shortest way in." Rei didn't look too keen on entering since they knew better what awaited them inside.

"Here we go," Haru murmured as he stepped on the pedal, careful to drive as noiseless as it could get. They wind up their windows, the air inside suffocating as they scanned the tunnel, praying they didn't run into any Cranks. So far they had been lucky enough to dodge any but they loaded up anyway, all of them holding onto their precious weapons. Gou was just fixing the bullets into her gun when a hand slammed onto the window, earning a shriek from her as the woman outside groaned, "Please, help me." As she turned, her brain was showing from within her skull as she grinned, "You look like a good little girl. Why don't you join Auntie for some soup?"

"Holy shit!" Rei yelled as more Cranks entered the area, some already starting to run towards them. "Step on it!" Makoto yelled as Haru gunned the pedal, making them shoot into the darkness as Cranks hurled themselves onto the car. "Shit!" Rei groaned as he got out his rifle to blast one of them hanging onto the roof. 'You idiot! You're making it easier for them to come after us!" As they bickered at the back, Haru didn't have time to yell as he spotted the chunk of metal sticking out from the ground.

Haru didn't have enough time to react as the car hit the ground hard and they were flipped into the air, their screams bouncing off the walls as they landed with a sickening crunch. Makoto coughed as Rei yanked the doors open, pulling out everyone as Makoto felt a stinging sensation up his leg. "Shit," he groaned as he tried to pull himself free. "Makoto!" Haru shouted as he grabbed onto his arm, pulling him as hard as he could whilst Rei tried to cut out the debris pinning him down. Gou held off the Cranks as best as she could, her gunshots filling the air as more of them surrounded them.

"Leave me behind! Don't get yourselves killed because of me!" "The hell we're leaving you behind!" As the boys managed to pull Makoto out, they broke into a full run, Makoto not caring about the pain in his leg as he limped away. He had bigger things to worry about then a hurt leg. They didn't make it very far before being surrounded by Cranks, all snapping and shrieking as they closed in for the kill. "Oh God, please help us," Gou whispered as Haru sighed, "As Rin would say, just go for it." Makoto couldn't help but smile as he recalled how Rin would say that whenever he went into the Maze when they heard a honking sound from behind.

"Make way!" Nitori yelled as Momo slammed into several of the Cranks. Nitori loaded his bazooka and blew some of them into the sky, scattering debris across them as Sousuke yelled, "Get in!" Asahi was in the back as well, grinning as he shot the Cranks with a machine gun. "Don't waste your bullets! We still have a lot incoming!" "But its so cool!" The boys clambered on board, pulling Gou along as they shot into the darkness, the sound of Cranks pursuing them slowly becoming softer until they burst into the light.

"OMG, that was insane," Rei gasped as he leaned against the side, hurling as Makoto patted him on the back. Momo didn't exactly have the most comfortable driving skills as everyone got out carsick. "Next time, I'm taking the wheel," Sousuke muttered as Momo protested. "What the heck are you people doing here anyway?" "As if we could leave Rin-senpai behind like that! We came to back you up! Could use the firepower anyway, don't ya think?" Momo grinned when Gou pointed into the distance.

A city rose from the ashes of Tokyo, its spiraling steel towers gleaming in the sky and glass reflecting the light off its walls. All around it, a large wall circled the city, barring anyone from entering its walls. "Wow, that's some crazy fortification," Asahi whistled as Makoto sighed, "We tried to break out of WICKED for so long and now we're trying to get back in. its ironic." Haru was just staring at the city, his mind going to where Rin might be now and what he might be going through. "Come on. We still have a ways to go to get inside," Sousuke said as he got behind the wheel, everyone clambering in as they went to rescue their friend.

…

Ikuya stood outside the room, his eyes trained on the young man inside. One moment, he looked peaceful but the next moment, he was trashing wildly and throwing things about, screaming things that Ikuya couldn't even make out. His heart clenched as he watched his older brother wither away, infected by the virus all because he was born unlucky as a normal person. What would he give to be able to help his brother? Why wasn't he the one born Immune, when Ikuya didn't have anything to contribute to the world?

"Ikuya. Its time," Nao whispered as he placed a hand on the glass, his eyes filled with pain as he said his goodbyes to his best friend. Ikuya nodded as he placed his hand on the panel, the door sliding open to let him inside. Natsuya growled as he walked closer, Ikuya's heart racing as Natsuya recognized him. "Ikuya… you shouldn't be here. I could kill you at any time." "As if I care, Aniki." Natsuyu looked at him, unsure of whether to hug him or just stay where he was.

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this. What a joke, after all the shit we've been through to die like this." His hands were covered with blood and what looked suspiciously like human flesh as if he had tried to eat himself. The Flare did crazy things to a person and they slowly began to devour themselves if they had a chance. Ikuya couldn't bring himself to see his brother become that. Ikuya sobbed silently, his hand moving into his pocket as he walked closer to Natsuya, who shuddered as he whispered, "Ikuya, would you really kill your older brother?"

ikuya paused just for a moment when Natsuya launched himself at him, growling as the younger boy crashed into the ground. Nao yelled from the other side but knew he couldn't interfere because he wasn't Immune to the Flare and they couldn't risk losing another one of their brightest minds. "Ikuya, kill him!" he yelled as Natsuya grinned savagely, drool dripping onto Ikuya's face. "Oho. So now they've sent you to kill me. How funny that they kill off anyone that stood in their way. How could they do that to me, the man who pioneered the research for the cure?"

Natsuya laughed and sobbed at the same time as he clawed at his brother, Ikuya's thoughts racing as he fumbled for the gun. He needed to kill him, for his sake and for everyone else's. Memories flashed through his mind as he remembered the days when they first came to WICKED, how Natsuya had to spend more time working than playing with him. But he always found time to see him, talk a bit before going off to do research. Then they found out he was sick and he had to be quarantined but he never stopped researching or caring for Ikuya. "Aniki, forgive me," Ikuya whispered as he pulled the trigger.

Natsuya gasped as Ikuya held onto him, sobbing into his bloodstained clothes as Natsuya's breath hitched before turning into a chuckle. "Ikuya, you've grown," he whispered as Ikuya held onto him, knowing it would be the last time he could ever hold him like that. To prevent the spread of the virus, all bodies had to be burned and disposed of in a specific fashion. He wouldn't even have the chance to be buried. "Ikuya, I'm sorry… for everything," he whispered as Ikuya shook his head, "Shut up, you moron." "Natsuya laughed before he leaned in, hugging his little brother one last time as he whispered, "I love you, Ikuya."

Ikuya bucked up from his bed, his head coated with sweat as he scrubbed his eyes, the tears still falling as he hugged himself. He had tried his best to forget that day but now it was coming to haunt him once more. His eyes fell on a picture he had of himself and Natsuya, both of them smiling at the camera with Nao and Hiyori. "Oi, Ikuya. Time to get to work!" Hiyori called from the other side of the door as Ikuya slowly got up. "I'll make this work, Aniki. I promise."


	20. Infiltrating the city

**Forgive me but I just had to do another crossover with this fandom. Been a big fan of it for a few weeks and since I was writing this, though I would add them in anyway since I didn't want to write a whole other fic about them and plus, no idea who I should use as Lawrence so here we go!**

 **Also, the newest episode is so awesome! The Iwatobi boys are back at full force! OMG poor Romio-kun I totally get the feeling of that! Gah happened to me before and it wasn't pretty... sigh...**

 **We have reached the 20th chapter mark for this story! Wohoo!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

As they drove deeper into the city, Haru and the others gazed around at how people were living. It was madness, people stealing food from each other and children ripping into each other for scraps. "Maybe living in WICKED wasn't such a bad idea after all," Asahi murmured. At least in WICKED and in the Maze, they had food and water. "Man, home seems much more ok than here now," Momo muttered as he leaned out of the window, gun at ready in case someone dared to sneak up on them. "Heads up," Sousuke murmured as he pulled up, the boys getting out of the car as a huge crowd surged past by.

"Let's see whats up," Makoto muttered as he pulled a hood over his head, trying to conceal his face and also to block all the noise that was around. He found himself more distracted by noise than usual, having to make sure he was in absolute silence to be at peace. Sousuke nodded in response and he and the othesr got their weapons ready as the crowd gathered in front of one of the walls. "What the heck?" Asahi muttered as something blinked in the sky as Sousuke yelled, "Hit the deck!" as bullets rained from up high.

"Holy shit!" Haru yelled as they ducked for cover, some people getting blown off their feet as they scurried like rats. The boys barely managed to get into safety as the people behind them got blasted to pieces. Haru didn't dare to look at the scattered body parts as Rei retched, coughing as Makoto banged him on the back. "Move!" Sousuke yelled but as soon as they walked out, they were cornered with guys with guns. "Hey hey. Look what we got here," the guy sneered as he pointed his rifle at Sousuke's head. "What the heck you want?' "Oh, the boss just wants to see you. Not all the time WICKED's most important brats get to come to the area without getting blown to bits." He nodded to his comrades, who bonded them up and tossed them into the van, the vehicle rumbling across the dirt.

Before long, they reached their destination and Haru yanked off his blindfold to find himself in what used to be a shopping mall carpark, a bridge spiraling into the sky as they were marched down the path. Gou had to refrain from trying to bite into one of the men as he tried to touch her when the man at the front whistled. "This is close enough," he said as he peeped inside. "Yo, Viktor! Brought those kids you wanna see!" "Send them in," a voice from within rasped as the lead man shoved them inside. "Whatever you do, don't try to question his appearance."

They slowly made their way inside, the interior of the room nicely decorated with potted plants and pictures. As they passed one of them, something silver glinted in the low light. Haru wondered why would someone hold onto ice skates for so long when they heard a voice muttering in a corner. "Oh, Yuri… why did you have to leave me and Mikachin alone? I want to be with you now but I can't. Oh, you wouldn't want to see me like this now, eh? I can't even skate properly." The man in the shadows slowly stepped into the light and the kids sucked in a breath as they looked at him.

He was clearly a foreigner, his blonde hair so white it looked white as he shook the locks from his face. His face was ridled with scars and what was left of his leg dangled in an ugly fashion. It stank so bad Haru wanted to retch as the man smiled. "Ah, sorry for you kids to see me like this." He murmured something in what might have been Russian as he sat down, dust puffing from the sofa as he beckoned them to sit.

They didn't do so but he didn't seem to mind as he held onto a stuffed poodle, stroking it as he said, "So you want to get into WICKED, is that correct?" "Yes, do you have a safe passage for us to go through?" The man chuckled as he leaned in close, his blue eyes blazing as he murmured, "I do indeed, but I would need something from you in return." "If you want the cure, they don't have it. They won't ever get one." You think I want a cure when I'm this past the Gone? It's useless to cure me now. I rather be dead and rejoin my beloved in Heaven." His face softened as his eyes fell on a picture of himself and a young man, both of them smiling at the camera in matching outfits.

He murmured a little more to himself in Russian before snapping his fingers, his aide moving to help him stand up and handed him a walking stick. He wheezed as he took a breath, "I'll let you in all right, but do me a favor and make sure you take down the security around the city. I have a little surprise for those morons up there that I'll like to give them." He coughed as his aide stood next to him, his eyes filled with concern as he handed him a syringe filled with blue liquid. "It's fine. I'm fine." "You're not fine, Viktor-san! You have the Flare so if you don't take your medicine…" "I don't care! I want to see Yuri now!"

The man snorted as Viktor turned to face the teens, his eyes weary as he said, "Take Yurio here with you and go into the city. Bring hell on them for what they did to us." Haru nodded as Yuri bowed and let them out of the room. As they exited, Haru could hear the man mumble under his breath of the man he had lost and how he wished he was dead to escape the grief and pain. "Just who was that guy?" Rei asked. "He was an ice skater who fell in love with a Japanese skater. He was living with him in Japan when the Flare struck. Yuri-san died not long after the Flare struck and Viktor-san had only managed to survive this long with whatever medicine we stole for him."

The man removed his helmet to reveal long blonde hair and a thin narrow face, his blue eyes glaring around as he sighed, "I came here to visit him and got stuck because of all the Flare crap. I don't even know if my old man or Otabek…" his voice got stuck in his throat as he shook his head. "Whatever it is, just head into the city and wreck hell in there. We've been trying to break in all these years but as you can see, no way we can enter without getting ourselves killed." "So why are you helping us?" "You think we want to just sit here and die while those bastards bask themselves in bliss in that city? To hell with that. Rain hell on them."

Sousuke grasped Yuri's hand in thanks and the guy murmured something in Russian as he turned to go back to base. The group slowly made their way down the sewer, only their feet splashing in the water when they came to a manhole. "Me, Haru and Makoto will make our way to find Rin. I know the access codes and since I have my card, hopefully, it will work and people won't recognize me. The rest of you can get to work to blow up the place." Rei rattled a series of vantage points that would be useful if they wanted to explode the place as Sousuke nodded.

"As much as I would like to rescue Rin with you guys, a larger group will make things harder. We'll wait until dark and blow up the place." "You sure we have enough time to do it?" "Viktor and his team plan to blow up the place anyway tonight so we better make do with what we have." "And what about the captive kids?" That sentence hung in the air as they weren't so sure on whether they could rescue so many people at one time when Gou spoke up. "I'll deal with that. Momo-kun, you can come with me on this one."

"Really, Gou-san?!" Momo blurted in excitement as she sighed, "I need someone to protect me that's all." Sousuke snickered as he knew Momo had a huge crush on the girl and wouldn't let her go for any reason at all. "Good luck you two on that. Nitori, Asahi, you're with me," Sousuke said as Asahi grinned, "Roger!" "Well, now that we have the plan, let's get to work!" Makoto said as everyone nodded. Rei climbed up the ladder and pushed the manhole cover open to let sunlight bathe them. He looked around and nodded that it was all clear as the Gladers spilled out of the hole.

The city was massive. Towers rose from every corner and signs in neon lights glimmered in the evening sun. They made their way to the main street to see a huge crowd of people walking, all of them going about their business as though the Sun Flares had never happened, although there was high tension in the air as they walked, fear of catching the Flare ever present. "We should get going. Good luck," Makoto said as Sousuke gave him a pat on the back. "Don't stress so much," he said as Makoto nodded. He knew very well what the boy meant as they broke off into the separate teams. Before they could make a move, Haru's eyes caught on a boy with dark green hair walking past them.

"Ikuya," Haru whispered as he pulled up his scarf to hide his face and dodged into the crowd. He ignored Rei and Makoto's harsh whispers as he pushed through the crowd, earning glares from some people as he followed Ikuya through the street. The boy looked clean and healthy, although the same air of loneliness and despair hung on him. He moved into a building just as Haru grasped on his arm and yanked him to the side. "What the hell," Ikuya snapped when he recognized Haru. "What the heck are you doing here?" he hissed as Haru yanked down his scarf.

"We're busting Rin out of here," he said as Ikuya chuckled. "You think you can get past all of the security WICKED has in place? Hiyori and Nao aren't stupid to let you waltz in like that." "Try me." Ikuya froze as a gun was placed next to his temple, Makoto breathing hard as Rei hissed, "Don't just leave us behind like that, Haruka-senpai!" "Sorry," Haru murmured as Makoto snapped, "Bring us to Rin or you'll be sorry." As he said those words, Ikuya scanned his eyes, his brown eyes watering with pity as he muttered, "Makoto, how long has it been?" Haru turned to look at his best friend, who had frozen on the spot. Rei shifted uncomfortably on his feet as Haru snapped, "Makoto, what's going on?"

"Haru… I…" he began as Ikuya laughed dryly. "You never noticed Haru? Man, you're as clueless as ever. Makoto has the Flare." The word Flare hung in the air as Haru released his grip on Ikuya, his hands shaking as he stared at Makoto, his eyes scanning his best friend for any signs of illness. True, he had been more twitchy and pale for the past few weeks but he thought he was just tired from all the planning they did about rescuing Rin… "Makoto, why didn't you tell me?" he whispered as Makoto choked, "I didn't want to jeopardize the mission." "Your health is just as important!" Haru yelled as he slammed Makoto into the nearest wall.

"Hey, you two!" Rei groaned as he prayed no one heard the commotion. "Haru, you know its no use." "Sousuke recovered! You have a chance so why didn't you tell Amakata-sensei about it!" Not everyone can be saved! I don't have immunity to it!" "But if you just took the medicine…" "It doesn't work like that!" Makoto's yell echoed across the corridor as Haru flinched, stepping behind as Makoto panted, his eyes filled with craze that Haru had failed to notice. Why hadn't he noticed before? Why?

"I thought I could deal with it. Rei and Amakata-sensei don't have the proper materials to prepare the cure after the attack last year. Don't worry about it. The most important thing is getting Rin out of here." Makoto straightened himself, trying to force his usual smile on his face as Haru shook. "Makoto… if you die… I will never forgive you." He leaned into Makoto, hugging him hard as Makoto patted him on the back. "I won't die. Don't worry." Haru slowly let his tears flow as Makoto held onto him, trying to comfort him the best he could as the sun began to sink into the horizon. "Guys, if you forgot, we have a jailbreak we need to complete," Rei coughed as both boys sprang apart. "Right," Haru muttered as he turned to face Ikuya who merely shrugged, "Guess its do or die, eh?"


	21. Blasting out

**Hope you don't mind the random crossover with Yuri on Ice on this one. Haha. Just a spur of a moment when I wrote it.**

Gou and Momo hid behind the pillar as they scanned the area for guards. "All clear," Gou murmured as Momo shuffled next to her. He always wanted to ask her out for a date, even though now was absolutely not the most the appropriate time for him to do that but since the world was about to end, might as well right? "Gou-san, I… I really like you!" he blurted as she said, "There!" A group of kids were being led into one of the buildings, guards escorting them in all directions. Most of them shivered in the cold since they were only wearing hospital scrubs and their feet were covered with thin shoes.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Gou grinned as Momo sighed. He was hoping his idea of the ideal confession would have come true but that would have to wait. "Got it," he grinned as he ran for the buses parked at the side while Gou walked to the front, making an innocent face as she walked with her hands in the air. "Ah, good sir. I think I'm lost. Do you know the way to the nearest exit?" she asked politely as the soldiers trained their guns on her. "Miss, what the heck are you doing walking about past curfew?" one of them shouted as she flipped surged forward, judo flipping the men onto their backs as Momo yelled, "Heads up kids!"

He rolled in beside them, yelling for the kids to get in as Gou stunned the men as quickly as she could before more reinforcements arrived. "Come on, let's get going!" Momo yelled as he punched on the gas, the vehicle lurching forward as Gou clutched onto the side for support. After she regained her composure, she set to work in freeing the kids from their bonds, some of them crying as they rubbed their sore wrists. They ranged from as young as eight to around 15, the older ones looking as though they been through hell and back, which was what had happened to them.

"Onichan, are you the good guys?" a little girl whispered as Gou nodded. "Yup. We're getting you out of here," she said as Momo yelled, "Hit the deck!" All the kids barely managed to strap their belts on just as a claw picked the bus up and swung it upwards. "Was this part of the plan?" Gou yelled as her walkie-talkie burst to life. "Yo," Sousuke murmured as Gou shouted, "What the heck is going on?" "You might want to hold on tight. We're getting you out of there now," he said as Momo snapped, "Heck no! We still have to pick up Rin and the others." "They have to find their own way back. From the way things are looking from up here, it ain't going to pretty soon when Viktor…" He didn't manage to finish his sentence as the south end of the wall blew sky high and a crowd surged from the other side, hollering as sirens wailed in the air.

"Ok…" Momo muttered as Asahi interrupted, "Ok kids! Hang on to your seatbelts!" He pressed the button and the crane began to lift them through the sky, some of the kids shrieking whilst the others prayed to the gods for protection. Gou tried not to get sick as she looked below her, watching as the insurgents overran the police like ants and brought mayhem to the city. Screams began to fill the air as gunfire was let loose and she felt like she was about to throw up when Momo placed a hand on her shoulder. "They'll be alright. Don't worry," he smiled as Gou gratefully squeezed it as they were carried into the sky.

…

Sousuke gripped the walkie-talkie in his hand, the static in it bursting every once in a while as he awaited the signal from Viktor. He knew he had planned to make hell on the city but he didn't expect him to go all kamikaze by blowing up the entire section of the south wall. Not like he didn't agree with him. If they wanted to blow something up, make it go big. "Oi, you there?' Yurio murmured from the other end as Sousuke responded, "We got everything covered up here." He kicked the guard he had stunned as though to make the point. Nitori and Asahi had reported having taken down their defenses from their sides of the wall as Yurio sighed.

"Viktor always has some crazy plan up his sleeve but for once I agree on this one. He deserves to be with him after all after the hell he went through," Yurio said before sputtering, "Anyway, get the hell out of there if you want to live!" He ended the call as Sousuke turned to look at the city one last time. At a point in his life, he could have been living in this place, if the solar flares had not ravaged the earth and turned everything to shit. "OK, we're at a go. Everyone get the hell out of your positions and Asahi, get ready to extract Momo and Gou." He ran out of the building just as the wall went nova and spewed chaos onto the streets.

…

Viktor stood in front of the wall, a smile on his face as he thought about how he could finally get revenge for Yuri's death. They had finally managed to win the Grand Prix together and then all hell broke loose with the Sun Flares. Then Yuri had gotten sick and he could only watch as his love faded into a monster before finally pulling the trigger on him himself. "Viktor, if you love me, kill me," he had whispered as Viktor aimed the gun at him, screaming as he killed his lover. He had had nightmares of it ever since and now that he himself was infected, he thought it was only fair he died in the same manner.

"Yuri, I'm coming for you," he whispered as he kissed the golden band still on his finger where Yuri had slipped onto it all those years ago in Barcelona. He took a breath before turning to face the crowd, all of them looking up to their leader for instructions. "Today, we show who is the one in charge of our lives! We storm WICKED's final stronghold and bring an end to their tyranny against humanity! Who's with me?!" he roared as the crowd pumped their fists into the air, screaming bloody vengeance as he climbed onto the back of a Humvee with Yuri's help.

"Yo, Yurio-kun. Thank you for being with me till the end," he smiled as he pecked the man who used to be the best skater of his age on the cheek. "Don't do that, Viktor, its weird. And plus, you don't have to go blow yourself up to make a point," he muttered as Viktor held him close. "Dasvidaniya," he whispered as he kissed him on the cheek, the blonde man nodding as they parted ways. "Let's go!' Viktor yelled as the Humvee surged forward. Viktor spread his arms wide, waiting for the music to play in his ears as they surged forward.

He could imagine himself on the rink, the lights threatening to blind him if it were not for Yuri Katsuki's presence on the ice. "Come on, Viktor," he would smile as he took his hand, sending him skating into a world of wonder and color. They would skate until the world around them evaporated and the two of them were left, letting them conquer the ice with their song and dance. "My sweet Katsuki Yuri, I'm coming home," he whispered as he pressed the trigger, the car exploding as it enveloped him in flames. "Yuri," he whispered as the wall was blasted into the heavens.

Yuri Plisetsky didn't have time to mourn for his former mentor as he yelled at the crowd, "What are you pigs waiting for?! Let's bring hell to their doorstep!" The crowd surged forward, half of them having their minds taken over by the madness of the Flare and the other half just wanting to get revenge for the loved ones they had lost. Yuri didn't care, he didn't even know if the people he loved were still alive at this point. He didn't even manage to give Otabek his reply… "You dolt. You can give it to him personally,' he whispered as the first of the gunshots went loose, sending pandemonium onto the streets.

Yuri slammed his rod into a police officer, the man tumbling to the ground as he sank it into his temple. Blood squirted onto his pants but he didn't bother to clean it as he surged forward, sending more people to their graves as the shock troops came forward. "Stand down!" they yelled as Yuri shouted, "To hell with them! Charge!" The wave of insurgents just kept coming and Yuri was so lost in the fight he didn't realize he was riddled with bullets until they blasted his leg off.

"Oh snap… coach Yakov would kill me when he finds out I lost my leg," he thought before laughing to himself. Out of all the times, he was thinking about skating. What a joke… as he fell to the ground, he could feel the life fade from his body as blood pooled the ground around him. He couldn't breathe due to the holes riddling his lungs and without his leg, he could only lie there as the crowd stampeded on top of him. "Yuri…" Otabek's voice whispered in his mind as he smiled for the first time in years as he whispered, "Yes, Otabek. That's a yes." as he finally joined hands with his friends in the heavens.

...

Rin didn't know what was real or dreams anymore. He had been subjected to so many mind simulations to the point that he didn't know if he was awake or not. The only thing that bubbled in his mind was that he wanted to strangle Ikuya and Hiyori for doing this to any poor kid who happened to be immune. Sometimes he wanted to drop dead and let the Griever from the simulation just kill him but he couldn't do that. He still had to find his sister and make amends with her. Not like he could leave Haru and Makoto behind as well.

He felt himself drift through dark waters, his eyes barely able to make out anything in it. Ironic. If this were another life, he would have liked to be a swimmer. He always thought it was an interesting sport and according to Gou, it had been something their father had done in his younger days. Also, he thought he would have a great team with Makoto and the others. He could imagine themselves in a relay, all of them screaming each other's names as the swam. He watched as Haru dove into the water, the flicker of a fishtail in the darkness as he heard voices floating in his mind.

"Rin!" Makoto's voice penetrated as he chuckled. As if Makoto could be here now. He was trapped in the center of WICKED. "Rin!" Haru's voice came as well. A hand reached for him, blue eyes meeting his as Haru came close, his voice filling Rin's heart with happiness as he reached out. "Haru!" Rin cried out as Haru smiled. "I'm glad you're alright," he said as he pulled Rin close, letting warmth spread over him as they kicked to the surface.


	22. Jumping down

**Twenty minutes before all hell broke loose…**

Makoto panted as he, Ikuya, Rei, and Haru made their way into the building, constantly shouting for people to get out of their way as they searched for Rin. "Shit, are you sure this is the damn floor?" Haru snapped as Rei flinched, "Of course. I've been here, once." "Once?! How are you supposed to remember something once?!" "I've got it covered!" Rei slides the ID card he had stolen from Ikuya and the door slid open to reveal a bunch of scientists, all of them screaming as they made their way in.

"Get out of here or we'll shoot!" Makoto shouted as he leveled his gun at their heads, causing them to run in a panic, but some of them stopped to grab some of their papers before fleeing the premises. "You had to go alert the entire building, did you?" Ikuya muttered as Haru nudged him with his gun. They had stolen some uniforms from soldiers and used Ikuya to steer them through the building before they got caught by security, which led to an all-out brawl. They barely managed to escape with their lives onto the 60th floor and they didn't have any plans on how they were going to escape just yet.

"There!" Rei shouted as they passed a room. Rin was splayed on the table, his eyes shut as he breathed shallow breathes. Rei scanned the card before Makoto and Haru burst into the room, Rei holding onto Ikuya in case he tried anything funny. "Oi, Rin! Wake up!" Makoto cried as he shook Rin. The boy groaned as Haru slapped him across the cheek, making him open his eyes a bit wider as he groaned, "Hey, what did I do wrong?" "Rin!" Makoto gasped as he slammed into Rin, hugging him tight as the redhead fully recovered from his daze before turning red, "Hey let go of me!"

"Good to see you too Rin," Haru said as he handed Rin a gun, who gratefully took it before his gaze fell on Ikuya. "You little prick.. after all the shit you and your buds pulled, you think I'll let you off easily?" "Try me." Ikuya didn't even bother to do anything as Rin sighed, cocking his gun before pointing at him. "Hey, Rin! Let's not get crazy…" Makoto stammered as he pulled the trigger, a yell escaping from Rei as a soldier behind them fell to the ground. "You're welcome," Rin muttered as they made their way out of the corridor to face Nao.

"Oho, so you were behind the alarms going off," Nao grinned as Ikuya stood between him and his allies. "Let us go. There is no going back at this point." "Oh, so you finally gave up on the cure?" "You think we can find a cure after all the shit we've been through? He was supposed to be the best specimen and we didn't even manage to develop the cure! Who else can we use?" Nao snickered as he pointed at Haru. "He's standing right there." Ikuya swiveled to look at Haru, his brown eyes widening as his mouth gaped, "Him? You've got to be kidding me."

"Just be a good boy and come with me now, Ikuya." "You think my brother would have wanted all of this to happen? You think he wanted so many lives to be lost because of the Flare? How did you think I felt about the way you decided to continue his legacy?" "Your brother is dead because we weren't fast and strong enough to take risks! If we had used humans earlier on in our research, we might have been able to save him!" Ikuya gritted his teeth as he snatched the gun from Rei, who yelped as Ikuya pointed the gun at Nao.

"I don't want to kill you, but if it means saving everyone else, I will." Nao chuckled as he put his hands in the air, a smile on his face that would normally warm his heart as he said, "Do it. I don't have much purpose now that I have the Flare." Ikuya nearly dropped the gun as Nao laughed. "You think I would not contract it even after all this time? I've only managed to slow down the virus but now its taking hold of me. I doubt I could live for long." Ikuya hand shook as he tried to shoot but he couldn't bring himself to kill his late brother's best friend. He cursed as he lowered the gun. "Aniki would be crying in heaven for what you have done."

Nao stiffened at his words, swaying on his feet slightly as the building rocked with force. "What the…" he gaped as Haru yelled, "Hit the deck!" The glass shattered as the building rocked on its foundations, fire zooming into the air as the wall collapsed to the ground. Not long after, a wave of angry humans and Cranks surged into the city, turning its streets into a scene of chaos. Nao snarled as he tried to get up, blood pouring from a wound at his temple as Rin snapped, "Come on, we gotta go!" Makoto couldn't help but stare at Nao before he turned to run, his heart racing much faster than normal. Something was bugging him in his mind, a noise that wouldn't cease to shut up…

"Makoto!" Haru shouted as Makoto slumped against the wall, clutching his head as Rin ran over. "What's wrong?!" he demanded as his eyes widened, "Don't tell me." Makoto smiled weakly as his oldest friend took a step back, not knowing what to think about losing him just when they were reunited. "You always never tell anyone when you're in trouble," he growled as Ikuya coughed, "Hate to break your reunion but we better get out of here." He ran through the building, leading them through labs and empty offices as soldiers began to pour in.

"In here!" he snapped as he barricaded them inside an office room. "Stay here. I have something to take care off," he said before he ran the opposite direction. Outside, yells could be heard as Nao shouted instructions at them to blow down the door. "Any ideas?!" Rin yelled as Haru's eyes shone when he focused them on the oxygen tanks propped against the wall. "Oh shit, no," Rei groaned as Makoto coughed. The running had made him more tired than before and he was slowly beginning to feel the Flare spread more in his mind. He cried out in pain as he clutched his head, trying to will the buzzing noise to stop as Haru yelled, "Out of the way!" He threw the cylinder through the window with Rin's help, the window smashing and the cylinder plummeting into the pool below.

"There's no way we'll survive the fall! At the velocity and speed, we're traveling, we'll be squashed bugs!" Rei protested as Rin jabbed a finger behind him, "Unless you want to say hello to them, jump!" "Hold on!" Haru yelled as he grasped onto Makoto and jumped out of the building, Rin grabbing onto a yelling Rei as they made the jump, falling at about 100 miles per hour before they smashed into the water. For a moment, everything was black, their bodies sinking into the water.

Haru felt himself lose his grip on Makoto, his hands turning numb as he sank deeper into the water. Funny, normally he would feel overjoyed to be surrounded by so much water but now, he felt himself fade away, the tiredness in his bones begging for rest. "Let me just close my eyes," he thought to himself as light shimmered above him. "Haru!" Makoto shouted as his voice filled his mind. "Oi, Haru!" Rin yelled as Rei shouted, "Haruka-senpai! Hold on!" He felt a hand grasp into his, pulling him towards the sky to be met with smoke and ash. He coughed as he gripped the side of the pond they had landed in, everyone bedraggled and cold.

"Can we not do that again?" Rei spluttered as cars sped around them, soldiers piling out to aim their guns at them. "Freeze!" one of them shouted as Rin protested, "Hey, give us a break, will ya?" As they zoned in on them, one of the soldiers, whirled around and smashed the butt of his gun into one of his comrades, two others doing the same as they brought down the others. "Yo," Sousuke said as Rin's eyes widened, Nitori and Asahi lifted the visors of their helmets to grin at them.

"Glad you're safe, Rin-senpai!" Nitori squeaked as Asahi patted Haru and Makoto on the shoulders. "Where's Gou and Momo?" Rin asked, worried about his sister as Nitori gave a nod, "Both are out of the way now and waiting for us to join them." "Come on, let's get you people out of here," Sousuke said as Makoto coughed, black blood splashing to the ground as he wheezed. "Oi, what's happening?" Asahi demanded as Haru knelt next to Makoto. "Shit, don't tell me…" Sousuke cursed as Makoto smiled weakly, "Sorry, guys."

As he coughed, lights shone from above as Sousuke let out a grin, "Our ride is here! Let's go!". Rin looked at Makoto, his eyes tearing as he feared what was going to happen next. "Makoto… why did you have to get infected?" he growled as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Rin-senpai…" Nitori whispered as Asahi shook his head. Makoto could barely keep his composure now as the sound of sirens began to fill the air.

"You guys head out first. I'll catch up with you later," he said as the others silently nodded to each other and took off down the road, hoping to find a way to get themselves out of there. "You better survive this," Rin growled as he patted Makoto on the shoulder before running off with Nitori. Rei and Asahi took off in a different direction, soon leaving Makoto and Haru alone. "Makoto…" Haru murmured as Makoto reached into his coat pocket to take out a knife. "Kill me, Haru."

 **Nyehehehe. You can murder me now.**


	23. Farewell, my friend

**Here comes the bomb. I wrote this right after watching Death Cure so I was writing it on full fangirl mode so let's hope all the angst is in it!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

"Come on! Where the heck are those kids?!" Goro yelled just as a signal flare descended into the sky. "There!" Gou shouted as she leaned next to Goro, who had picked her and Momo up with their group of runaway kids not long before as the boys waved from below. "Hey, Rin-senpai!" Momo bounced as he turned to get ready for the drop. Gou could barely contain her tears as she went to greet her brother as Amakata-sensei pressed a vial into her hand. "Give this to Makoto-kun as soon as possible. He doesn't have much time left." Gou didn't need to be told what had happened to him as she nodded as held the vial close to her chest.

The Berg slowly descended onto a pavement and the Glades ran to meet her, Rin enveloping her in his arms as they wept tears of joy. She held up the vial to Rin, whose eyes widened as Rei snatched it from her. "This… Makoto-senpai might just make it," he whispered as Rin snatched it back and turned to run back to where they had come from. "Rin!' Sousuke yelled but he knew his friend wouldn't bother as he rushed after him, Nitori and Momo holding the rear as they went to find their friends. "Please, be safe," Gou whispered as the air around her rippled with death.

…

"Makoto," Haru whispered as Makoto gasped, blood dribbling onto his chin as he pounded his head, trying to get the buzzing noise in his brain to stop. He had reached his limit and he was taking everything he had to stop himself from clawing at Haru. "Please, kill me now, before I kill you," he begged as he fumbled for his gun. Haru leaped towards him and knocked the weapon form his grasp, the gun skittering across the tiles as Makoto rasped, "I'm beyond saving now. Get back or you will die as well!" "Not a chance! I won't leave you behind after everything we've been through! With Ikuya around, we might be able to find a cure…" "There is no cure for me!"

His roar filled the air before it turned to coughing, Makoto's green eyes now dotted with red as he fumed, foam coming from his mouth as he lunged at Haru, snarling as Haru jumped out of the way. "Please, wait a while and we'll get you help!" Makoto didn't listen to reason as he lunged at Haru, clawing at his neck as he snatched the knife from his pocket, aiming it for Haru's heart. Before he could stab him, his green eyes flickered with recognition just for a second before the knife drove into Haru's chest.

Haru yelled as he gripped the knife, his hands slick with blood as he wrestled for control. He didn't want to hurt him, he would never hurt him. But how was he going to save him now? "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Makoto whispered as he stabbed Haru once more, screaming inhuman screams as he tried to kill Haru over and over. As the blade flashed before his eyes, his eyes widened as what was left of his sanity took over. "No! Don't!" Haru screamed as Makoto managed the last smile. "Sayonara, Haru-chan." He didn't close his eyes as Haru ran towards him, not able to pluck the blade from his grasp as it pierced his heart.

Makoto smiled as he felt the blade pierce his heart, the organ slowly stopping as he collapsed into Haru's arms. "Makoto. You moron. You stupid moron," he whispered as he cradled him, Makoto not having the strength to say anything to him. "Don't cry, Haru-chan. It's for the best," he whispered as he coughed. His mind was fading and he couldn't hear Haru anymore but he could still make out his crystal blue eyes… blue as the ocean. He was met with a vast sea, the light sparkling off its waters as he reached out for the light…

The light died in Makoto's eyes, the ghost of a smile on his lips as Haru sobbed, his tears falling on his face as he slowly let Makoto lie down. He didn't have time to remove the blade from his chest as the rest of the boys came back, their face wide with shock as the truth dawned on them. "Makoto…" Rin whispered as he knelt next to him, the tears falling as he slowly closed the eyes of the second last Glader. "Haru… why?!" he yelled as he turned to face Haru, locking his fist into his jaw as Haru fell to the ground.

"Hey, knock it off!" Sousuke snapped but he couldn't bear to see Makoto's body lying on the ground as the others gathered around it, Nitori sniffling and Momo trying not to cry. "It's your fault he died! If you haven't noticed it earlier and you had the cure all along… why didn't you help him?! Why Makoto?! He… he was the only one left from the Glade I could remember!" Rin sobbed as he fell to his knees, his fists smashing the ground as he howled. Haru couldn't do anything but stare, his mind in a whirl as he glanced up at the building that they had just escaped from.

"Oi, where are you going?! Get back here!" Rin yelled as Haru turned to go back to WICKED. Nothing mattered now. His best friend was dead. His other best friend wanted to kill him for Makoto's death. Ikuya was right… he was useless… his feet carried him to the lobby of the WICKED building, the soles of his shoes squeaking against the tiles as footsteps sounded from the other side. "So you return to hell, Haruka."

He turned to see Nao standing there, his face matted with blood as he held a gun in his hand. His aim shuddered as he breathed, the virus already spreading much faster then he intended as he aimed. "I saw it all. Makoto died, didn't he? Because of you not being able to give your blood. Ikuya was never the answer to it all. We just failed to see that you were the one that we need as the final ingredient to the Cure. Come on, now. Be a good boy and give me the cure." He grinned as he lifted the gun to Haru's forehead, the other boy not caring to move. He closed his eyes as he awaited his doom, a gunshot filling the air and a body dropping to the ground.

"What?!" Nao groaned as he lay in a pool of his own blood, Hiyori standing behind him with a serene smile on his face. "You're already a Crank so its standard protocol to kill you right?" "What did you do?!" Ikuya yelled as he rushed to kneel next to Nao, who barely had any life in him left as he clung onto Ikuya for dear life. "Ikuya-kun… I was wrong… we failed… everything was in vain. Natsuya…how am I going to face him?" His breath hitched as Ikuya sobbed, holding onto the other man who had been close to a brother to him.

"We'll get a cure. We will. I promise," he whispered as Nao slid away, his eyes glazed as he stared at the ceiling. He had a smile as though he had gone to a place much better than where he was now and to someone he hadn't seen in years. "Hiyori, you're mad, you know that?" Ikuya snarled as Hiyori laughed. "Look around you. The city is lost. You think we can find a cure now? Maybe we might if we use this moron as the main ingredient."

"Don't talk about him like he's food!" Ikuya yelled as he lifted a gun at Hiyori, who merely pointed his at his leg and shot him without even flinching. Ikuya howled as he dropped to the ground, his leg stinging as Haru rushed to his side. "You moron…" he muttered as Hiyori put his gun to his temple. "Now, let's get back to where we're supposed to be, shall we?" he grinned as he led both boys back to the lab.

…

Rin held onto Makoto, the other boy in peace as he was lost to the stars. "Why… why did Haru kill him?" Rin whispered as Sousuke placed a hand on his shoulder, which he promptly pushed away. "He knew he had it coming. He didn't want the rest of you to be in danger. That's why…" his voice trailed off as he remembered the first time Makoto had told him he had the Flare. _"But… I managed to heal. Don't they have the cure for you as well?" he had asked as Makoto smiled. "There's no point on wasting the cure on me. I don't have any immunity, to begin with." He had just smiled, watching the sunset beyond the horizon as he said, "When the time comes, Haru will know what to do."_

"You idiot," he murmured as Nitori lifted his head. "We have incoming! We better go!" he shouted as Rin clung to Makoto. "No way I'm leaving him to rot here!" "He won't be the only one rotting! The whole city is gone! There will be nothing but bodies on the streets in a few hours! We cannot bring him with us and risk getting infected!" Sousuke snapped as Rin shouted, "Have it your way! I'm staying!" Don't be an idiot!" Both of you, shut up!"

Rei had a lighter in his hand and what looked like a bottle of petrol in the other. "I… I managed to get this from the car and I… I thought we should at least burn…" his voice choked as he stammered, "Burn the body." Rin shivered as he thought about having to cremate his friend but they had no choice. Guns and chaos rained around the city, screams filling the air. There was no telling if they would be dead in the next few minutes. He sniffled as he removed his jacket and covered Makoto's face before he grabbed the bottle from Rei and poured it over Makoto's body, the smell of petrol filling the air as he whispered, "You idiot, rest in peace."

He threw the lighter onto him and the body lighted up, sending sparks into the sky as the boys turned and ran, not wanting to see their friend burn into ashes. As he ran, Rin couldn't help but sniff as he remembered the times he had spent with Makoto in the Maze, Makoto always crying and he having to make sure he was all right and not blaming himself for everything. He thought he could feel his hand on his shoulder, a smile on his face as he sent them off as Gou yelled, "Get in!"

As she saw their faces, Gou had to stop herself from sobbing as Amakata-sensei held onto her, both women trying their best not to grief as Goro punched in the controls. "Going up!" he yelled as the Berg ascended into the air, weaving through the buildings as Rin yelled, "We have to get to the main WICKED tower!" "Are you nuts! We'll never make it with all the explosions going about!" "Trust me on this! We need to get Haru out of there!" "All this for that moron?! You better be right about this!" Goro snorted as he pulled the Berg toward the center of the city, praying that everything so far was not in vain.


	24. The end of everything

**Here we are at last. This is the second last chapter for this story so I want to thank you all for reading and supporting this story the whole way. I really appreciate the reviews and people who read the story as they helped me get inspiration even when this story seemed to be dying.**

 **Don't murder me about who dies and what not. I just find it appropriate and fun to do so.**

 **I don't own the characters.**

There was nothing both of them could do but get marched to the lab by Hiyori, who still had his annoying smile plastered to his face as he slammed the door open with his fist, shoving them inside. "Now, be good and stay here," he grinned as he slapped Haru onto the chair and bound him up. Ikuya was backed into a corner, not sure what to do with his crazed friend as Hiyori looked up. "Come on, extract some of his blood." Outside, explosions were ringing around the city and one by one, the buildings came collapsing to the ground but Ikuya didn't bother as he wiped some blood off Haru's wounds and began to do the procedure.

"You know why Sousuke-kun was able to survive so long? We thought that maybe Ikuya might be able to help us with that because he's an Immune but somehow, you… you have to be the source and solution to all my problems. I gave up all my privileges to go down to the Glade and pretend to be one of you, live in that rotten shed and act like the good doctor when I could be conducting so much research. You know how much I want to kill you at this point for everything you had done?" His smile made Haru shiver as Ikuya muttered, "Done."

He held up a blue vial for Hiyori and the other boy snatched it from him, grinning as he rolled up his sleeve. Ikuya stiffened a gasp as he saw the pattern of blue-black veins snaking across his arm. "What? You thought I was a damn Immune like you? No one was born as lucky as you, Ikuya," he spat as he lifted the syringe to his arm. "Well, itadakamisu," he grinned just as Ikuya snatched a beaker and smashed it across his head. His eyes rolled to the top of his head and he fell to the ground, the vial rolling to the ground as Ikuy rushed to Haru's side.

"Man, that guy is hard work," he groaned as he helped Haru out of his chair and both of them ran for the door. "Haha, Ikuya. You've learned how to be independent, have ya?" Hiyori crooned from the lab as he chased after the, his gun shooting wildly as they ducked in and out of corridors. Haru hissed as one of them grazed his side, Ikuya turning back as Hiyori laughed, "Who do you think has been the mastermind behind the whole cure project? After Natsuya died, who do you think took over? It wasn't that stupid Nao, who blindly followed everything Natsuya had left behind! I was the one who came up with the Maze trials and chucked you Immunes inside! I was the one who prolonged Makoto's life by throwing him in that maze! Or would you have preferred him to get infected earlier on so you wouldn't know him?"

A mad cackle filled the air as Hiyori breathed in before letting out a sigh. "Ah, I can smell your fear. Hehe, is it possible to smell fear?" he laughed as he continued to chase after them. "We got to get rid of him!" Haru snapped as Ikuya turned to see Hiyori. The guy had changed so much since he had met him, growing from someone who always shielding him to someone who was out to kill him. "To the roof! He won't be able to get there in time if we do this!" he shouted as he smashed the fire system, the lights blaring as he shouted, "Get in here!" He shot the fire extinguisher, letting an explosion ring out around the corridor as Hiyori sand, "You can run but you can't hide, I-ku-ya-ku-n!"

"He's mad" "He's always been mad!" Ikuya panted as they ran up the stairs. Haru's wound stung as the door was blasted off its hinges behind them, Hiyori's voice floating in the air like a haunting tune as they ran for it. Haru wished he could just drop dead but he didn't want to join Makoto any time soon, even though he missed him already. "Come on! We're almost there!" Ikuya yelled as he kicked the door open. They ran out as flames burst around them, bathing them in orange light as the floors below them burst into flame. "What the hell?!" Ikuya yelled as fire shot from the door just as a hand clung onto it.

Hiyori grinned as he hung at the door, the skin of his hand melted off the bone. His face had been burnt so badly he looked like a skull, the bone showing through enough to make Haru want to hurl. "Haruka-chan. Give me back my Ikuya!" he grinned as he raised the gun now welded to his hand. "Come on! Don't be shy!" he smiled as Ikuya shouted, "Leave him alone!" A gunshot fired and Haru collapsed to the ground, blood forming on his gut as Ikuya screamed his name.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Hiyori?! After everything we've been through, why did you turn out like this?!" Why do you think I wanted to get close to you? Kirishima Ikuya, the brother of the prodigy Natsuya! He ordered me to take care of you to my dying breath, so I was thinking… maybe I should take you to the grave with me!" he lunged for them as Ikuya raised his gun, firing first as Hiyori crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around him as a Berg rose behind them.

"Haru! Get on!" Rin yelled as he extended his hand, the ramp lowering low enough for them to grab onto him. "Haruka-senpai!" Rei shouted as he and Rin reached out, Ikuya helping haul the unconscious boy on board. Haru's eyes rolled in his head, the noise filling his mind as he opened his eyes, trying to focus on what was going on. He remembered two gunshots… who had shot whom? Had he been shot? "Haru, get a hold of yourself!" Before Haru could say anything, a roar rang from behind as Hiyori shouted, "Die!"

As he lunged at them, the building below them collapsed but Hiyori leaped for the Berg at lightning speed and would have gotten on if Ikuya hadn't latched himself onto him and pulled him into the inferno with him. "Ikuya!" Asahi screamed as he reached for the other boy but it was too late. Ikuya and Hiyori fell in a tangle of arms and legs, the forms getting enveloped by the smoke as they fell to their deaths. The building collapsed on top of them as a ball of flame shot into the air. "Ikuya.. where is Ikuya…" Haru whispered as Asahi cursed, "That idiot! Why?!" Haru's mind slowly drifted away as Rei attended to his wound and he floated into nothingness.

…

Hiyori barely gripped onto sanity, his mind slipping away as he slowly got taken over by the flare. He laughed to himself, thinking how ironic that he would succumb to it when the cure was so close. He recalled the days when it had been all but a dream and that he would never survive. He almost lost hope but then… Natsuya gave him purpose. "Here, Hiyori-kun. Take care of my brother for me. He can be a little hard to deal with but he's cool," Natsuya had grinned as he introduced the two boys to each other. Not long after, he had gotten sick. He still remembered how Ikuya had washed his hands many times everyday as though he couldn't wash off his brother's blood off him.

"I will take care of him. His eyes will only be on me," he had thought until the day Haru had come to the facility. He had taken Ikuya's mind by storm, making him go to see what he was doing every day and copying his every move. Hiyori tried his best to make him stop following the boy whom he deemed was a distraction from his goals at WICKED but he wouldn't listen. Then he made the stupid decision to go into the maze and wipe out his memories. He had already been there for a year or so but to see his friend coming up in the Box and the first name he had spoken… Hiyori wanted to kill Haru even more.

No matter what he tried to do, the blue-eyed boy refused to leave Ikuya's mind. How he wished he could have protected Ikuya from him earlier but now… it was too late… "Sorry, Ikuya," he whispered as they fell. Time seemed to stop around them as they plummeted to their deaths. Maybe that was what they mean when time slows when you die. "Shut up, you weirdo," Ikuya whispered as tears fell from his brown eyes. Oh, he hated to see him cry. Ikuya hugged him, hitching his breath as he whispered into his ear, "Let us go, together." "Sure," Hiyori smiled as the fire engulfed their bodies.

…

Ikuya was standing at the edge of the ocean, the sun sparkling off its waters as he looked at himself. He was clean, gone were all the scrapes and cuts he had gotten from the fight earlier. "I must be dead. There's no ocean," he thought as someone clapped him on the back. "Yo, Ikuya! You're here too early!" Natsuya scolded as he whirled around to face his older brother. He looked so healthy and happy… "Shut it, Aniki," he muttered as Natsuya scowled, "What, you go to the afterlife and that is how you greet me? Sheesh." Still, he smiled as he patted his younger brother on his head before turning to look at the ocean, which now had starting blocks line up. "Want to go for a race, Ikuya?" he grinned as Ikuya shrugged, "We have forever, do we?" as they dived into the blue water.

 **Well there you have it. For those of you who hate Hiyori (which I kinda pity because he is just a tad overprotective of Ikuya after all the hell they've been through), got what you guys wanted!**

 **Epilogue will be released tomorrow along with an author's note so stay tuned for the final chapter of 'Free from the Maze'!**


	25. Epilogue

**After about one month of craziness, this story has come to an end. Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story! Now, let's dive into the final chapter of "Free from the Maze".**

 _I_ _t was cold… so cold and dark. Haru wanted to hug himself as he floated through the water, the water suffocating him as he drowned. Why does the water hate him so much? He tried to thrust his arms out and create an opening but nothing was happening. The light was fading as well. "Haru-chan," Makoto's voice whispered as his friend appeared before him. Haru couldn't let out anymore tears as he whispered, "Makoto… I'm sorry." "Its not your fault. I'm happy here now with my family." Makoto smiled, his green eyes filled with joy as he placed a hand on Haru's cheek. "Now, return to our friends. They're waiting for you."_

Haru's eyes slowly adjusted to the low light in the room as he winced, the wound on his stomach just starting to heal as he got up. He clutched his stomach a little as a squeak came from nearby. "Haruka-kun! You're awake!" Amakata-sensei gasped as she came over, examining him before he managed to get a word out of himself. "No buts! You've been out for a few days and everyone is worried about you!" she scolded so he just sat down and let her do her thing until she was satisfied.

"Go say hi to the others! They've been worried sick about you! Especially Rin-kun. He's been crying his eyes out every day and sitting at your bedside. I told him to man up a bit," she pouted but there was a cheeky gleam in her eyes as she shooed him out of the hut. As Haru looked around, the sound of water hitting the sand made him turn his gaze and his eyes widened as he came face to face with the ocean. "What…" he whispered as he gazed into the ocean, the scene so beautiful tears nearly came to his eyes.

He walked along the coast, the grassy plains dotted with tents and huts that had been set up. Kids strolled around, some of them hand in hand as they said hi to him. He just gave them an awkward smile as a yell came from the other side of a tent before someone with red hair barreled into him. "Haru! You're alive!" RIn howled as he hugged him tightly, nearly knocking the breath out of him. "Rin-san! You're killing him again!" Rei howled as he adjusted his glasses. "Haruka-senpai! You're alive!" he howled as he himself barreled into him.

"Ouch," Haru groaned as Sousuke came over with Momo and Nitori, who hugged him tightly while Sousuke just gave him a brofist. "Welcome back," he grinned as Haru nodded. "Come on, kids! If you finish all your work by tonight, we can begin the welcome campfire!" Goro shouted as everyone hollered, getting back to their tasks. Haru joined in building a hut as Rin explained the situation. "Its an island off the coast of Iwatobi. Goro said he knew about this place when he came for a swimming training camp during the summer when he was a kid so he brought us here." The name Iwatobi sent warm feelings through him as he worked. Maybe that had bee his old home…

That night, all the kids gathered around the fire, the flames roaring into the sky as Goro held up a glass into the air. "We may have lost many people to get to where we are today, but we have nothing to fear now! WICKED has been destroyed and we won't be bothered by them anytime soon! To the New Glade!" he shouted as everyone cheered, the shouts filling the air as everyone drank and partied the night away. Every once in a while, someone would carve a name of a fallen comrade onto the stone propped at the campfire as a sign of those who couldn't join them that night.

"Yo, you had this with you," Rin murmured as he pressed a small scroll into Haru's hand. He didn't recall anything about getting it but he guessed who the sender must have been as Rin left him to chat with some girls nearby. Haru gulped as he slowly unraveled the scroll to reveal neat handwriting, the kanji a bit hard to read but Haru managed to read them anyway as he read the final letter Makoto had ever written to anyone.

 _Dear Haru-chan,_

 _I don't know if I wrote before, but I think, sitting there trying to compose this letter to you, I might have actually been okay at this. Haha. Sorry, Haru. If you have received this letter, that means I have passed on. Tell Rin I'm sorry as well but… I had been given a longer chance at living than others and I think its only fair that I went as well._

 _Ever since I went to the Maze, I thought I was in hell. Then Rin and Seijirou were there and they helped me so much and I thought we had a chance. Then you came and you just brightened up the world around you by showing me a sight I had never seen before. Every time I saw you running, I could imagine the water parting for you as you dove into the Maze, running for everyone's freedom. I will follow you to the very end of the line, and now that you are reading this, you now know that I have._

 _Don't be sad Haru. Death isn't the end for everything. I know you will miss me, but I promise you. One day, in another life, we will meet once more. And I never told you this before, but I love you, Haru. But not as a lover or anything, but as a best friend. Oh man, now I'm blushing…_

 _Sayonara, Haru. And be free._

 _Yours faithfully,_

 _Makoto_

Haru gripped the paper in his hands, tears dripping onto it as he clutched it to his chest. He imagined Makoto sitting next to him now, how he would react at certain lines on the paper as he sobbed, "I know… I love you too, my best friend." That night, he stared at the sky, watching the stars as he thought of Makoto, Nagisa… all the others who had died. And for some reason, Ikuya and even Hiyori crossed his mind as well.

The next morning, Haru found himself carving Ikuya's name onto the stone, the green headed boy still fresh in his mind as he wrote his name. He didn't know if the kanji was right but he tried his best anyway. Makoto's name was carved below his and when he was done, he touched the surface of the stone before clapping his hands together and bowing low in respect. "Rest in peace, Makoto. Ikuya." As he straightened his back, Rin called out, dressed in swimming trunks.

"Oi, Haru! We have to go catch some fish for dinner! Have a lot of mouths to feed!" he called as Haru jogged over. Rei was dressed in swimming pants as well, shivering in the cold morning air as Momo decked a pretty colorful one. Nitori was shifting in his, trying to stop Momo from diving in immediately without a proper warmup while Sousuke and Asahi stood in the swimming pants like they had worn them forever. "Come on, Haru. Let's see the sight we have never seen before!" Rin smiled as he held out a hand for him to take. Haru smiled as Rin shouted, "Come on, guys! Let's swim!"

Everyone dove into the ocean and Haru's eyes cleared to see the bottom of it, fish swimming around in schools and living out their lives, unaware that a bunch of teenaged boys were going to cook them for dinner anytime soon. Haru kicked his legs as he propelled himself forward, enjoying the coolness of the water and watching the others swimming and having fun together. Rin and Sousuke were racing each other while Nitori and Momo did their best to catch fish. "Oi, Haru! Don't space out and help us catch some dinner!" Asahi called and for a moment, Haru saw Makoto and Ikuya standing on either side of him, beckoning him to join them. "Come, let's go!' all of them said as one as Haru smiled. Now, he felt truly free from the Maze.


	26. Author's note

**So this story started off with just looking at a picture of Rin and Haru dressed up in Runner outfits and it just made me want to write about how they had to survive the Maze and be free, even in a world of hell.**

 **Thanks to all of those who started to read this story and who favourited, followed and reviewed!**

 **Shoutout to Tarily, Sherona849 and Roxas Itsuka for all your wonderful comments!**

 **Also shoutout to Multifandom for liking this story and Shiranai Atsune for following this story all this time! (also to Sherona849 and Roxas Itsuka for following it).**

 **It has been a crazy and fun journey writing this story and I hope I can bring you guys a story like this in the future about the guys from Iwatobi swim club and Samezuka Academy.**

 **Until we meet again, ave atque vale and sayonara. And remember, be free!**


	27. Debut novel

Hello again guys

thanks for reading and supporting my fan fiction all this time until the end of it.

I recently ventured into writing and self publishing online on Amazon and recently I released a book of poems called "Looking into the Mirror" and now I'm proud to announce my very first debut novel "Four Unexpected Fates" on Amazon in ebook form which is now ready for purchase. I

Its about four girls who got into the same university and whilst having a sleepover discovered that they each took part in various sports and they ended up talking about their journeys as athletes as they pursue their dreams to be the best in their game or to quit entirely. If you're a fan of sports anime like Haikyuu and Free, then this is the novel for you!

It holds a special place in my heart as I took part in the sports mentioned in the book and it was inspired by my experiences as an athlete who has since retired from them to be the person I am today. Some of the events in the book happened to me in real life and I have changed the names of the individuals who were part of it and even though some of them had hurt me in the past, I'm glad that had happened as it made me into the person I am today.

Hope you will support this book and have a good day!

Title : Four unexpected fates by Angel Carstairs

Link: dp/B07Q3J4T7X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=four+unexpected+fates+angel+carstairs&qid=1553933518&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spell

Also catch my other book of poems entitled "Looking into the Mirror" by Angel Carstairs.

Looking-into-Mirror-Angel-Carstairs-ebook/dp/B07PTR3N59/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=looking+into+the+mirror+angel+carstairs&qid=1553758936&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spell

P.S. Unfortunately this is only available to read in ebook form .


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